Government Affairs
by januaryfreeze92
Summary: The USS Enterprise lands on planet Niburan, expecting a smooth investigation of the planet that hopes to join the Federation. Their visit does not go according to plan. Nyota Uhura x Spock. Rated T for kidnapping, violence, steaminess, and implied sex.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters... I do own rhododensalvus and Niburan, however! So no touchy! Haha.**

**I think in this fic I truly learned for the first time how hard it is to name things... Like planets... And vegetation...**

**Also - Vulcan Harp - reference to episode Charlie X in season 1 - you don't have to have watched the show, but basically Spock plays the harp. In the show Uhura accompanies him, but hopefully that will be in a different fic...**

**Also, feel free to give me polite critiques. My specialty is oneshots, so I find it very hard to write a well rounded chapter, so feedback is definitely appreciated!**

**R&R**

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"May point out that rhododensalvus, the tree-like structures surrounding us, does not burn like earthly wood?" Spock asked me with a subtly raised eyebrow.

I looked back towards the center of camp to see the Captain trying to build a fire with no luck. With a knowing smile, I turned back to the vulcan standing beside to me.

"Oh, I am perfectly aware," I said with a wide smile. Of course it was me who gathered the wood, out of the kindness of my heart...

"And you do not think this information is valuable enough to share with him?" he asked again and I just shook my head.

"We have some time before dark - he can sweat a little," I said, looking up to see a very small smirk grace his pale face, and I knew that he secretly approved.

Tents were starting to go up around us, their colors the customary blue, red, and yellow that are associated with the Starfleet. It was a shame that Niburan's inhabitants were so cautious of outsiders - the main reason we had to sleep in the woods this evening... However, to say that the Niburans were merely cautious would be an understatement.

Planet Niburan was beautiful with crimson red skies, only now starting to fade to a lovely maroon, almost a brownish-purple. I could see three of its moons starting to rise on the horizon, although hard to spot because of the trees surrounding us. The hot, balmy weather even reminded me of my childhood in Kenya - a part of me that I kept buried deep.

Walking into camp I looked at all of the faces I have become familiar with over these past few months - Mr. Sulu, Dr. McCoy... It's almost disconcerting how a near death experience can bring people together. After retrieving one of the tents that Sulu had found in the cargo hold, I made my way into the center of camp to where Kirk was still building the fire. He was doing it correctly now, however - banging two sticks together so they would ignite from the impact. His source of knowledge sat on a makeshift bench beside him.

"You knew this crap wasn't flammable, didn't you?" Kirk accused as I walked toward the middle of camp.

"Why would you say that, Captain?" I asked with a false innocence. He just chuckled, shaking his head and I sat down next to our Vulcan first officer.

"No reason. Of course you didn't recognize the plant, Miss Four-Point-Oh," he teased. Things have been oddly smooth with the Captain lately. I could never deny that he was a womanizing pig, but there was now too much respect between us to act on it.

_Who am I kidding?_ If he even tried to act on one of his idiotic impulses, Spock would probably rip his arm off - if I didn't beat him to it, that is.

Jim looked up at the sky and smiled sheepishly at Spock. I didn't understand until he stood up. He was still his first officer, and had to watch the ship whenever the captain was off. Taking out his communicator, he mumbled, "Spock to Enterprise." Before beaming up, however, he raised an eyebrow.

"You do remember this is not a recreational stop, Captain?"

His voice interrupted my thoughts, causing me to look over at our mentioned _fearless leader_ and notice the drink he pulled out of his duffle. Oh boy.

"This is our first time off the ship in months, Mr. Spock. We all deserve some fun," he countered with a smile.

"I hope I do not need to remind you that the citizens of Niburan are extremely hostile," Spock continued, but the captain ignored him, taking a large swig of alcohol.

- -

"I thought we were all adults," I huffed, rolling out my bed in the empty tent. It was understandable that we all had to share tents - welcome, even. But I, being the only female officer down here, will not be sharing a tent with anyone. Admittedly, it seemed immature of me to be upset over this, but we were all adults who could decide for themselves who they wanted to sleep with. Innocently and not so innocently.

I sighed - I could understand, though. I was the communications officer, after all, and if any Niburans wandered into camp I would be the one of the only people who could speak with them. Actually, the only other person may have been Hawkins - If I remembered correctly, he did know the two dialects of the language.

I broodingly glared at the shadows the fire made on the other side of my tent wall and sat down cross-legged with a small sigh. It took a lot not to page him, but I didn't want to interrupt his work.

'What is that _noise?_' I thought. I had noticed the sound earlier, but now it sounded like there was some kind of dying cat outside. Confused, I stood up to investigate.

The image I was met with outside of my tent was that of Kirk playing an old, out-of-tune guitar and wailing at the top of his lungs. He was obviously under the influence, judging by his demeanor. Most of the shipmates were just laughing, some singing along, but I rolled my eyes.

"Are anyone else's ears bleeding?" I asked, sitting down on one of the surrounding logs.

Only now realizing my presence he decided to stop his belting, to my relief. But, unfortunately, he continued momentarily, me suddenly his inspiration. I gasped when I heard the first chords start up and almost slapped him upside the head.

"Oh, don't be so mad, it _was_ written about you!"

"Shut up, Jim. That is not my first name, either! Plus, that song is so_ old_," A few around the campfire chuckled.

"_You've been runnin' all over town - Guess I'll have to put your flat feet on the ground!"_ he belted out merrily and I rolled my eyes.

"Enterprise to Captain Kirk, this is Enterprise," something said behind Kirk, who didn't seem to be paying any attention. I got up to get it.

"This is Lt. Uhura," I said, recognizing the voice right away.

"Where is the captain?"

I held the communicator in the direction of the Captain's howling, causing Spock to hear him and groan.

"Captain, did you all fail to realize we are on a planet with close to no toleration for the human species?" demanded the half-human.

"Oh, you're just jealous that I play a manly instrument, like the guitar. Last time I checked I the harp was a girl instrument!" Kirk teased drunkenly, causing some laughter.

"Well, last time I checked, instruments don't have genders. Women are perfectly capable of playing the guitar," I chided. _God, is he twelve?_

"The Vulcan Harp is a very soothing instrument. I received second place in the All-Vulcan Music Competition, only beaten by my father," he stated matter-of-factly. To me, however, it was just one big pissing contest.

McCoy, who must have heard what was going on, stepped out of his tent to sit around the fire. "Just stop your howling, Jim. That's all the good lady wants. Not to mention your first officer and the rest of this Godforsaken planet," he said and I mouthed a silent thank you. And of course, knowing the Captain, the chance of impressing a lady ruled over anything and he quieted down to just some pleasant strums. I briefly wondered how many times he would go see the doctor tomorrow in need of hangover relief.

"What can I help you with, Spock?" I spoke into the communicator, moving to the edge of camp.

"Nothing, that dilemma just answered my question," he said, sounding frustrated. I waited for a moment, hoping he would explain himself, but of course he didn't.

"I'll keep a close eye on your frequencies, but be careful. I'm afraid the Niburans are more hostile than they appear," he told me and I nodded to no one in particular.

"Alright. When your shift is over, try to get some sleep. I'll send Sulu up soon for his turn to babysit the bridge," I said.

"Thank you, Spock out."

"Goodnight, Uhura out."

The night grew late, although I was much more wide-eyed than those around me, quite possibly the only sober person in the entire camp.

- - - -

I sighed happily, feeling his chest heave with every breath beneath my cheek. His fingers knotted themselves in my hair, running through each strand with fascination and care. His fingertips every so often gently scraped against my scalp, causing a pleasant shiver to run down my spine.

I opened my eyes to peer up at him. "How much time do we have?" I asked him softly, my hands moving to trace the contours of his chest. I marveled at the contrast my dark skin against the pale skin of his chest.

"Not long," he said with a small frown.

I stood up, my lips pressing against his brow. "That's alright. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see the Captain's thunderous hangover," I said with a playful smirk, picking my hastily discarded uniform off the floor and slipping it on quietly.

He smiled a little in return, starting to sit up but I shook my head, sitting next to him once more. "You go back to sleep, it's fine. I'll see you in a few hours," I told him gently, sweeping my long hair up into its usually high ponytail.

I tucked my communicator in my waistband and walked to the transporter room, smiling sleepily at Scotty once I entered.

"Good morning, Miss Uhura," he said kindly, with a small playful wink. I just laughed.

"Oh, hush," I said good-naturedly as I stepped onto the platform, "Energize."

The camp slowly came into view. I started to walk to the center ring of tents, a smile still on my face. Something felt... Wrong, though. Everything was _too_ still, _too_ silent. With a small shrug, I made my way to wake up the Captain. He was sleeping in - something that wasn't out of the ordinary, especially after getting completely drunk the night before.

I politely called in. There was no answer, so I opened the flap and with a gasp realized he was gone. I ran to Dr McCoy's tent in a small bit of a panic. "Doctor? Doctor, are you in there?" I whispered hastily. When I wasn't met with an answer, I pulled open his flap as well.

"Uhura to Enterprise," I spoke quickly, "Beam me up, the crew is _gone_ - beam me up _now_."

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**Guess the song and you get brownie points! Haha. Oh, what a good oldie.**

**I was less impressed with the second part of my chapter, but hopefully it will get better. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for both the reviews and the subscriptions! Both the feedback and kind words are appreciated! This is the first multi-chapter story I am really taking notes with and planning out with, and I hope it works well.**

**Sorry guys! Would have updated sooner, but I just started beta-ing a few new stories. :)**

**Happy Fourth of July!**

**I tried to make even an OOC Spock be somewhat in character, but I don't know if I succeeded. If you have any feedback about my view of his character, feel free to put it in your review. Trust me, I'm working on it.**

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I felt my body materialize into the disorderly camp, the stretching sensation strange but familiar. Even after stimulations at the Academy and the past few months experiencing it first hand, I still was unused to the strange sensation of being in one place and, in the next moment, being in a completely different place.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with the familiar scene of ripped, overturned tents and scattered belongings. I didn't look at Spock or Chekov as I moved toward the center of camp, trying not to look at the scene before me - it was one thing seeing it in the dark, but in the harsh light of day the chaos that obviously ensued only hours before was much more poignant.

Spock followed me to the center of camp, bending over the long gone-out fire. This gave me a lovely view of his backside. At another time I might have been playful, testing his calm, steady facade, but now... Overwhelming guilt squeezed the air out of me, guilt from the realization that, as my Captain and fellow crewmates were being taken hostage, I was fucking the first officer safely back on our ship.

"Lieutenant Uhura, please recite your knowledge of Niburan Terrorist Groups," Spock ordered me, as if something in the ashes before him were whispering answers to him.

I quickly obliged, stealing a glance at Chekov as he moved to the edge of camp, looking for anything that could help us figure out what had happened.

I saw Spock pick up a communicator, tossed meaninglessly behind the fire. I recognized the duffle it was lying next to as the Captains. I wavered in my information. Before he could say anything, however, Chekov called to us, "Sir, I have found some sort of tracks." He was standing at the edge of the forest. I looked over and quickly recognized them.

"It's from a car. The Captain's stepfather used to collect some. I recognize the tire marks from the police report filed when he was a child," I told them, pulling out my PADD. I felt the corners of my lips trying to pull up, imagining a little Jim Kirk driving a car over a cliff edge.

I bent down to examine the tracks more closely, comparing them to those on my screen. I could have taken a picture and used a cross reference program, but it was easy enough to find on my own.

"I thought I recognized them," I said after a few moments of deliberation, "The tracks are from a type of car usually used to drive across sand, most suitable for planets with large deserts."

I stood up, tucking my PADD back into my pocket.

"The plus side is only Niburan Extremist Groups use these, because they are so opposed to modern technology, so they are the likely culprit. The downside is that these tracks are heading east - towards the desert. We won't be able to follow these tracks," I continued.

"Why is that?" Chekov asked, bending down to study the tracks as well, as if there was some kind of message waiting there for him.

"Because sand would have covered the tracks by now," Spock finished for me. I nodded my agreement, thinking back to my childhood in Kenya and the wind that would blow the sand in the roads.

Niburan's bright, white sun was still low in the northern sky but the longer we took, the hotter it would get. Hopefully, the crew was safe from its harmful and suffocating rays. Another wave of guilt washed over me, and I swallowed it down.

"Could this vehicle be giving off a radio signal?" Spock asked me, his eyes meeting mine for a moment before I quickly dropped them. It was getting harder and harder to be on professional terms with him.

"No, Sir. If the culprit is who I think it is, they would not use such technology - they are extremely apposed to such means," I explained to him softly, eyeing the sky carefully. The sun was moving overhead at an alarming rate - if we didn't leave soon, we could be in danger.

"If we don't leave now, the heat combined with the chemicals released in this atmosphere could kill us," I told them both, pointedly gesturing towards the sky. They needed no explanation and started gathering the supplies that could be ruined by the gases that will soon be released in Niburan's strange atmosphere.

- -

We all sat in the bridge, there not being enough crew members to watch the bridge in order to have a proper meeting in the conference room.

"Examining the camp earlier, I found few things of interest - the crew was most likely taken in the early hours of the morning - the time most people would be asleep, especially considering how much most of the crew was drinking the night before," Spock started.

"Excuse me, Commander," I tried interrupting politely, "The climate here was similar to that of a desert, meaning that the early morning was the coolest part of the day - the sun wasn't out and the heat would have seeped out of the ground by then. That would also back up your theory."

They all looked at me and I averted my eyes. Sometimes I wish things didn't occur to me faster than they do others.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," He said to me before continuing on, "Also, judging by the condition of the tents, their captors were in some hurry. All communicators and other objects giving off a signal were left behind, the reason why we weren't alerted to their abduction."

"How do you suggest we proceed, Commander?" Sulu asked, turning to Spock from his place at the helm. My eyes gazed at the screen over his head, the small planet Niburan staring back at me almost cruelly.

"After weighing the possibilities, I have come to the conclusion of alerting their authorities. They are not yet part of the Federation, so we have no say in how they should proceed. Because Lietenant Uhura is the only person on this Starship who can speak the language, she will schedule a meeting with their Head of Domestic Relations. A party consisting of her and a handful of others will then beam down," he told us all.

I picked up the tiny, silver earpiece with care after nodding my consent and placed it gently in my ear. I watched as he continued giving orders to the others, his uniform skintight and moving with every action he took. I knew I was allowing myself to become distracted by him, but it was easier to give into those urges than have to deal with my raging emotions that left my internal self a mess.

After communicating with the representatives from Niburan, I swiveled my chair to face the center of the bridge.

"Commander, they will be expecting us in Abrigon, the capital city, tomorrow morning. They will give us cover during the harmful part of the day, of course," I told Spock, almost surprised to see how the bridge had cleared out since I had communicated with the planet before us. Sulu was replaced by McKenna, who we had picked up once he had recovered his lung worms. Chekov was also still on his shift, because I often insisted he had a full night's sleep because he was still just a teenager.

He nodded, turning his gaze back to the planet before us, as if it were going to disappear into thin air.

"It's not going anywhere, Spock," I told him softly, although it sounded more like I was trying to convince myself than I was him.

If Niburan somehow vanished, I didn't know how I would live with myself.

- -

My hands combing through his hair, my lips puckered against his. Tongues dancing, temperatures rising...

I came up for breath, burying my face into his shoulder gasping for oxygen that suddenly seemed to dissipate. "I can't do this right now," I told him apologetically, my voice coming out weak and panicky. My dark hair fell around my face, offering me some cover from his steady gaze.

I felt his long, white fingers dancing up my spine to rest comfortingly on my back. "We all feel a certain - "

"No. You weren't supposed to be kidnapped with them, you were supposed to be up here. I, I was..." I drifted off, hot tears stinging at my eyes. I tried to blink them back, not wanting to appear so weak in front of him. I was strong. I _had_ to be strong.

Would he still want me if I _wasn't_ _strong?_

"Why is it you feel so responsible for this happening?" he asked me gently. I felt his hesitation - he was a Vulcan, trained to hide the emotions that I was so openly exhibiting. It came to my mind that I must be a complete pain in his butt, and that made me feel even worse.

I didn't respond to his question. He started stroking my hair again.

"How would it have helped if you were there? Your intellect couldn't have stopped whoever it was from taking them, Nyota. You and Dr. McCoy were most likely the only two sober people there. It would have helped nothing if you had been caught with them," he told me. I wasn't convinced, though.

I was supposed to be there. _How could I betray them like that?_

"It doesn't matter. I was supposed to be with them. And instead I was..."

He saw my eyes shift to the wall and took my face in his hands.

"Look at me, Nyota," he told me, his calm facade falling away ever so slightly, showing something deeper, "Do you have any idea what they could be doing to you right now if you were caught? You would have been the only woman held captive, and I don't think I have to tell you about the treatment of Niburan women."

I didn't want to admit that I knew he was right.

He looked into the semi darkness over my head. "Even under the horrible circumstances, I cannot help but feel a sense of relief, even happiness, that you were not captured," he told me, something in his tone almost making it seem like it was hard for him to say this.

I reached up softly, tracing the logo on his blue uniform that marked him as part of Star Fleet.

Our responsibility, our duty was to get them back.

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**Not one of my best chapters, but the plot is thickening... Kinda... Soon to thicken...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews. And to the not so lovely reviewers - no one is making you read this story. So instead of sarcasm, actual helpful information would be much appreciated. Thanks.**

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We arrived precisely two minutes and fourty-seven seconds early.

The city of Abrigon rose before us, made almost entirely of glass and marble. The sun, rising behind its impressive skyline made the city appear like a water color painting - almost too creative to be thought of as reality. The sight of it momentarily made my heart ache for Vulcan - the tall spires and extreme heat here similar to that of my home planet.

I turned around, the government building facing us in all of its glory. It must have been one of the only buildings not entirely made of glass, for the sake of visitors who were unable to stand the weather here.

"Spock to Enterprise - party has safely landed on the planet face," I said into my communicator after flipping it open.

"This is Sulu - Affirmative. Enterprise out."

I turned my head to Nyota, nodding in the direction two men waiting for us outside of the building. They were Niburan, of course - black eyes, long limbs, very dark skin with an almost orange hue. I remembered learning that their skin tone was like this to protect them from the sun's harmful rays.

Spotting us, the two of them stood a little straighter.

"Are you two from the Starship USS Enterprise?" one of them asked us in his native language.

"I am Acting Captain Spock, and this is Communications Officer Uhura," I responded, politely speaking in Niburan as well.

They just nodded, turning to the doors behind them, the motion causing them to smoothly slide open. They stepped in, their long legs able to cover the tall threshold with ease, and I turned to assist Nyota. However, she, once again, proved her independence by stepping up on her own without hesitation. I couldn't say the action was too unexpected.

The walls of the large lobby were entirely made of glass, but were covered with screens - reminding me of the screens my father would put up for my mother so her delicate skin wouldn't be burned. Large, marble pillars reached to the high ceilings, creating dramatic shadows.

"The Joremur waits for you in the main conference room," said the man traveling in front of Nyota. Judging by their stance in front of us, it occurred to me that they were guarding us. Beneath my calm exterior, I wasn't sure if I should feel relieved that they did this to ensure our safety or uncomfortable with the fact that they thought it would be necessary.

I processed his words quickly - the _Joremur_. We wouldn't be meeting with the head of Domestic Relations, we would be meeting with their ruler.

_Fascinating_.

We walked through a tall pair of stone doors at the end of the hall - if they were not opened electronically, I would assume they would need to be opened by both men. Our guards led us to the left and to the door at the end of the long hallway.

One of them nocked and the doors silently slid open.

"Welcome to Abrigon," said the tall man standing against the opposite wall made entirely of glass. He looked similar to the other men - tall and lean with long limbs and an orange hue to his black skin. The only difference were his icy-blue eyes, seeming to take in everything around him.

"It is very nice to meet you, Joremur," Nyota responded in his language, using Niburan manners well enough as to not look into his eyes, but above his head.

"We are honored to be in your company, Joremur," I said to him formally, looking above his head as well.

He gestured to the long table standing before us. "Please sit down. I have received word of your landing party being captured, and I am sorry for the trouble it is causing you," he told us kindly, the majesty with which he moved to sit down obviously holding the confidence of a supreme ruler. Nyota and I sat before him and his almost white eyes flickered between the both of us before continuing.

"I have sent out search parties in hope of finding them. I do hope this doesn't hurt our chances of being accepted into the Federation," the man before us continued. I couldn't help but think of how hard it must be for Nyota not to roll her eyes, a frequent action of hers.

"Our largest concern at the moment is having our crew returned to the ship safely, nothing more," Nyota pointed out in fluent Niburan.

"Yes, of course, though the numbers of antihuman, immigration, and technology terrorist uprisings are dwindling. And we have some very good Colleges now, all the more reason for us to be accepted," the man said with a smile.

I turned to him, my eyes almost touching his, but not quite, "My Lieutenant was correct, Your Majesty - first we must find the Captain and the others, then we will negotiate your... Circumstances."

The Joremur's expression turned sour for a moment, before his charming facade fell back into place. "Of course," he repeated.

It occurred to me that the only reason he agreed to meet with us today was because he thought it would help his chances in the Federation accepting his domain. And, judging by Nyota's facing, she had realized the same thing point seven second after I had.

"Is there any sort of signal we can use to track them down?" I asked the now silent man, already knowing the answer.

"No. They are very opposed to such methods. Although they may soon change their minds if they wish to broadcast the fact that they have hostages. When that happens, we will find them."

Yet, by then, some may already be dead. Nyota turned to look at me, our eyes connecting. I knew that the idea must have crossed her mind, as well.

The Joremur stood up to face the wall, the sun now starting to rise over our heads. "You are welcome to use our sun-tight quarters until you can beam up," he told us as a dismissal.

"Thank you, Joremur."

"We would be honored, Joremur."

At Nyota's words, he turned to look at her. His eyes trailing up her body with a curt nod.

- -

"Oh, the nerve of some people!" she exclaimed.

I held my finger to my lips, knowing the guards were still outside - one of them waiting to take her to another sun-tight room.

"Still," she said, her voice falling to a whisper, "He may be the Joremur, but that does not give him the right to..."

She sighed, shaking her head in frustration, her long, brown ponytail waving around her shoulders.

"I understand," I told her softly.

I sat at the small table, looking at the meat before me with disgust. The Joremur were kind enough to leave me food, at least. I would have to thank him for that before we left, knowing that it would appear rude if I didn't eat it.

She laughed, moving to sit beside me. "You can have some of the funniest expressions," she remarked with amusement.

I felt the corners of my lips turn upward for a moment.

"What do you suggest we do now, _Commander_?" she asked me. Although I knew her question was meant in the most innocent of ways, I had to disguise a shiver down my spine.

"We should most likely beam up after the sun has moved from directly overhead and discuss it with the crew. We will then need to contact both the Federation and request how they would like us to proceed," I said, knowing she wouldn't agree.

I was correct in my assumption. Her eyes rolled in her skull.

"Can't we break the rules, just once? We have to find them. They could be hurt, or burning alive for all we know," Nyota said, her eyes pleading mine.

I wished we could.

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**This chapter was relatively short, I realize, only because I have to switch POVs! So more coming ASAP...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, this follows right after the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!**

**This chapter is really short, I know. That's why it's immediately following the last chapter. :)**

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"I know, Pavel, it's silly," I spoke into my communicator, "The Joremur is more concerned about getting into the Federation than he is about Terrorists."

I sighed, moving to sit at the table. The room was clean and white, with a small kitchen and a little bed. Same as Spock's. The only difference was my plate held fruit.

_Hmm, must've accidently switched our rooms,_ I thought silently, picking up a fruit that resembled a prickly pear.

I listened to the Ensign's words for a moment before hearing a knock on the door.

"Sorry, someone's knocking. I'll page you back soon," I interrupted the young Russian, "Uhura out."

"Chekov out."

I couldn't help but smile. Sweet kid.

"One second," I called politely.

It was right after I opened the door that the world went dark.

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Minutes passed as I waited at the end of the hall. Precisely four minutes and twenty-seven seconds.

Where was she?

"Do you know which room she was assigned to?" I asked my body guard politely.

"Bel," he said. _Yes._

He led me up the hall a small ways, not too far from where my room was. On her door was the roman numeral X.

'_X marks the spot,_' I thought sarcastically, a colloquialism that she would often use, and knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

"Her guard should be present outside her door, shouldn't he?" I asked him skeptically, the metallic taste of fear coming up my throat.

Not fear for me, but fear for her.

The man pulled out a device similar to an Andorian communicator and spoke into it hastily. I heard the locks click open and immediately opened the door.

But she was gone. Her communicator lay on the table, but her PADD lay broken on the floor beside a half eaten fruit and her hand phaser. He reached down to pick it up.

Still warm. He felt the corner of his lip pull up for a brief moment - of course she wouldn't go without a fight.

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**Yes, it was a very short chapter, but think of it as an extension of the revious chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, all.

So I went on Memory Alpha to look for battles, but the only death toll I cold find was six billion dead from the destruction of planet Vulcan. If you guys know any, please feel free to correct me. The Federation-Klingon Cold War took place mid-22nd century. The Battle of Cheron was a battle in the Earth-Romulan War that took place in 2160 between the Romulan Star Empire and an Earth/Andorian/Vulcan/Tellarite Alliance. This battle effectively ended the Romulan Wars.

All info above comes from Memory Alpha, most likely the one site I visit most. Lol.

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!

I can honestly say this story does not have nearly enough fluff than what I usually right. Yet, I am rather proud of myself for writing an adventure story/multichaptered story.

So keep an eye out after this one ends - I am hoping to right a multichapter, not as adventurous, but a tad more fluffy. Because I think I am much better at that! Haha.

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The guard knocked on the same door he had earlier. It slid open once more and I strode in. The Joremur was already seated, looking down at the table, which seemed to be one long PADD. I would have been fascinated under other circumstances.

"I have just received word of your Communications Officer's disappearance," he stated conversationally, not looking up at me. He may as well been remarking on the weather.

"Kidnapping," I corrected after a moment of observing him. He didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"I am terribly sorry. She was indeed an exquisite creature," he said, speaking of her as if she was already dead.

"What am I supposed to do about it?" He continued after a moment of pregnant silence.

I felt a burning emotion start deep in my chest. I looked at him in disbelief. This was the Niburan ruler? The Joremur?

"My Communications Officer has been taken captive, while staying -"

"As was your Captain and Chief Medical Officer, as well as a good part of your crew," the Joremur pointed out, interrupting me shamelessly.

"Your point being?" I asked, taking a deep breath.

The man smiled, his white teeth contrasting starkly with his dark skin, and finally looked up at me. "What is one more number? That is what is written about in history books, yes? Thousands killed in the Battle of Cheron, hundreds of thousands in the Federation-Klingon Cold War," he smiled, his cold eyes meeting mine, "Six billion in the destruction of Planet Vulcan. One more doesn't matter much to history."

My agility surprised the both of us. In less than a moment his back was pressed against the cool glass, my pale fingers surrounding his small, delicate throat. "It matters to more people than you think."

He looked down at me for a moment in disbelief before suddenly breaking into a hearty laugh. "That was a very illogical thing for a Vulcan to do," he pointed out.

"I am half human."

He went still, my fingers pinching the precise spot, and he fell to the floor.

What was it that Nyota always told me, between heated breaths in the conference room and intimate touches in the closet?

Oh, yes.

'_Fuck logic._'

- - -

My body materialized into the transporter room, where I was met by Scotty. His face fell, realizing that Uhura wouldn't be beaming up.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," I said, quickly walking to the inship communicator mounted on the wall.

"Transporter room to Bridge," I said. Sulu's face appeared on the small screen.

"Have Chekov page Starfleet immediately - I'm on my way up. Spock out," I said hastily.

I didn't hear Sulu's response, already on my way to the turbolift.

- -

"Commander, I'm on hold for Chief of Starfleet Operations," Ensign Chekov called to me as I entered the bridge. I nodded, taking the Captain's seat. I listened to the Ensign's chatter, his Russian accent interesting to listen to. He started listing off the names of those captured.

"And Lieutenant Uhura," I told him, not turning my head from the screen in front of me. He hesitated for a moment before resuming the conversation on his earpiece.

Sulu turned to me, obviously shocked by this information.

"She was taken captive during midday. We have reason to believe our rooms have been switched, so they may have been aiming to take me," I told him, my expression unfaltering.

The screen before us slowly came to life, the image of a man not much older than myself coming on the screen.

"Chief of Operations," I acknowledged.

"Commander."

"I take it my Ensign explained the situation to you?"

The man before us nodded, his eyes trailing over us, "Yes, your numbers have severely decreased."

It was my turn to nod. "They kidnapped a great number of us."

"It was logical for you to contact us, Mr. Spock. And greatly appreciated. We will be sending in back up immediately. They should arrive there in approximately 2 days."

_One day, eighteen hours, and twenty-two minutes, exactly._

"Our orders for the time being, Chief?" I asked him calmly.

The man on the screen almost seemed to shrug. "Stay put."

It took me a few moments to answer him. "Stay put?" I asked, feeling very much like a parrot.

"Yes, Commander. We don't want to risk anyone else on this mission. We don't have any reason to believe they are being harmed."

"They hate humans!" Chekov exclaimed, but I turned to him, my gaze silencing him.

"With all do respect, Sir, why else would they take our crew?" Sulu asked him.

"That's what we are going to find out. Just sit still, the USS Shenandoah and Republic are on their way. Starfleet out."

I hesitated for a moment.

"Enterprise out."

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Be sure to R&R :) Another chapter coming immediately...


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so happy I'm on such a roll today! Lol.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!**

**Thank you to those to you who reviewed! And to those who didn't, it's not like I'm giving you much time to anyway... Haha.**

**R&R, Darlings**

**

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**

I felt my swirling mind starting to drift into consciousness. There was something on my face. A smelly, scratchy type of cloth and -

Someone's hand's were on my face.

"Get the fuck off of me! Who the Hell do you think you are?!" I exclaimed, kicking my legs at whoever I could.

"Ow! Jesus, Uhura, snap out of it!" someone exclaimed with a groan. I smiled with triumph, but suddenly realized that my captors wouldn't know my name. Nor would they speak English.

The blindfold was slipped off of my face. "Hello, beautiful." The hands on my face had been McCoy's.

My arms found their way around him. "Oh, thank God you guys are okay," I said tearfully. It was hard to see much in the dim lighting, but it seemed like we were in some sort of cave. There were bars, too.

We were in some sort of prison.

"Oh, so he gets a hug and I get a kick to the knees?" I heard Jim say. His voice sounded tired.

"I'm so sorry, Jim," I said. My eyes started adjusting to the light and I gasped, standing up. "What the Hell happened to you?" I asked him, my hand reaching up to trace the line of bruises over his face.

"Eh, our jail guard's got a nice punch."

"And effective torture methods. Good thing you didn't kick his ribs, he might've started spitting up blood again," McCoy said gravely.

His hand reached up to cover mine, but he groaned, the movement seemingly painful.

"Jim, you should really sit down," I told him softly, not having the heart to be sarcastic.

"Is that Lieutenant Uhura?" someone called from the darkness.

"Yeah, just got here," McCoy called back.

"Who's that?" I asked him, helping Kirk sit on the floor, his back propped against the wall. Despite the bad conditions, it seemed like McCoy was able to fix him up a bit.

"Lieutenant Hawkins and Yeoman Rand," Kirk told me softly. He was trying to put on a strong face, but his attempt was betrayed by his knuckles, clenched so tightly they were turning white. "More were captured, but we don't know where they are."

I stood up, walking in the direction in which the voices came from, hands extended in front of me. My hands soon came in contact with cold, metal bars. "Hawkins, are you there?" He soon came into view, along with the blond woman who was only a little older than I was.

"It's nice to see you guys are okay. Were you able to understand anything they were saying?" I asked him, looking up into his face. His cheekbone was bruised, but he was nowhere near the state Jim was in.

He nodded. "Thankfully Niburan is nothing like Romulan," he said with the remanence of a smile, "The reason they're doing this is to protest the government's choice to join the Federation. They hate humans for some reason, and do not like technology. It is different than what I originally thought - it is not so much they dislike technology so much as they wish to return to nature."

"Similar to the 19th Century Transcendentalism," I remarked.

He nodded in agreement. "Exactly, except for the dislike, or more so hatred, of human's and immigration."

"Great work. Anything else?" I asked, a small smile forming on my face. Maybe if we knew what they wanted, we could stop them.

"Yes," he said, hesitating for a moment before continuing, his voice lower than before, "They had a very... Heated argument when you were brought in."

I turned to look at McCoy and Kirk. The latter's head was rolled to one side, his eyes closed peacefully. The other's eyes were intently on us.

"Yes?"

"You see... You know of Niburan beliefs. The accounts throughout history of blue-eyed Niburan's being very holy, or very wise..." he trailed off, and I thought of the Joremur's icy-blue eyes.

I nodded.

"Their ruler, as you must have noticed, is very excited that Niburan is being considered admission into the Federation. As I have told you, they're not so happy about this..." he hesitated again.

"Continue."

"The Extremists saw you and attributed you to a Niburan. Besides your lack of orange hue, you look very much like them. They - they were considering an experiment."

I looked at him blankly.

"They have a chemical. Very similar to bleach, but with - well, I don't have to explain to you its chemical makeup, but..."

I held my hand up. I was able to gather enough information from his words to make a hypothesis.

"They want to blind me?"

He nodded. "Yes. And they hope to do so on film. So, if it doesn't work, they can at least start their protest with you."

Terror filled my heart at his words. "Thanks," I told him softly, moving to sink down the cold, rock wall.

It was the first time I wished myself back home in Kenya.

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**Thanks, you guys, for the support! I realize this chapter was a tad short, but more to come soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys!**

**Yet another chapter. **

**Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!**

**AND PLEASE NOTE I changed the time it would take back up to get there to **

"_**One day, eighteen hours, and twenty-two minutes, exactly." **_**instead of the original approx. three days.**

**Thanks!**

* * *

My eyes remained on the small planet before me, as they had for the past five hours or so since I've been back on the bridge. They raked over its surface - its smooth, green oceans and it's redish-golden peaks. The others had left long ago for their dinner break, allowing the bridge to die down to an almost-silence, only interrupted by the occasional beep from the monitors.

There was no reason for me to feel relief at this, but a small part of me felt more free than before to continue gazing upon the screen before me, my attention completely taken by the battle raging in my mind. Scenes danced before my inner eye, tormenting me silently. Scenarios of our taken crew mates - Nyota, mostly. What they could do to her, what pain they could inflict on her - my fists tightened on the armrest despite my calm expression.

_It is my duty, my job, my responsibility..._

I thought of how she pleaded with me to break the rules just once, to ensure the crew wasn't harmed. And now she could be harmed.

I sighed softly, the Chief's command still taking center stage in my mind. I had to follow orders - it was what was expected of me, it was... Logical.

I was in a light state of meditation when the Ensign's Russian accented words brought me back to reality.

"Commander, there is a signal on my screen," he said, his tone shocked.

It took me a moment to process his words, I didn't even hear him come in. "What is it coming from?" I asked him, the signal and a map appearing on the large screen before me.

"I don't know, but I will retrace its course," he said, his fingers coming to life across the keyboard as a thin, red line appeared on the map as it zoomed in.

"Sir, I - I think it's Lieutenant Uhura."

I studied it carefully. It's appearance time was consistent with the time we beamed down originally, its movements consistent with where we went while on the planet. It was now barely moving in one place. I small flicker of hope came to life in my chest.

"You cannot be certain," I pointed out softly.

"It is not out of character for her to keep something that could send us a signal," he countered and I nodded.

"Identify the object."

The sound of clicking keys filled the bridge as I waited. It took a few moments before an image came on the screen.

An image of a tiny silver earpiece.

_Nyota._

_The longer I wait, the more likely something will happen to her._

"Send the coordinates to Scotty," I told him, quickly standing up, heading towards the turbolift.

"Commander, what are you doing?"

"Breaking the rules," I said, the doors opening before me.

"Commander, as you said, I could be wrong," he exclaimed behind me. I turned to face him.

"It is possible. But it is also the only lead we have." I glanced up at the map, but this time my eyes stayed there. "That signal, Ensign, is positively correct in its placement on that map?"

"Yes, Sir," he said, following my eyes to the screen.

"If so, Lieutenant Uhura, or whoever is down there with a Star Fleet earpiece, would be - "

"Yes, Sir - Under the government building."

- - -

"I spy with my little eye something gray."

"A rock?"

"Got it again," I muttered, my eyes on the injured man sitting beside me. He smirked when I spoke, his eyes shifting around our dark corner of the cave. McCoy had already seemingly drifted off to sleep, but knowing him it was probably a guise.

I wrapped my arms around my small frame, leaning against the cold, hard wall - it was freezing down here during the night.

"Are you scared?"

I turned to him. His words interrupted my cloudy thoughts - mostly half-baked escape schemes and bittersweet memories that would keep drifting to my mind.

"Terrified," I answered softly, too disheartened to lie.

His smirk turned melancholy, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I didn't think you got scared," he admitted in a whisper, his blue eyes half closed.

I hugged my knees to my chest. "Everyone gets scared." I peaked at him out of the corner of my eyes.

He looked at me in a way I didn't recognize - he looked utterly crestfallen. "I guess so," he said with a sigh.

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**I'm sorry, I realize that wasn't very long, but the next chapter is going to need a lot of thought and planning, so this'll hold you over. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, everyone! **

**Thanks for the fantastic reviews. :)**

**Sorry, my laptop was sent in to be fixed, but I'm back now! :D**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!**

**If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to say something.**

**There is a nice scene in here between Kirk and Uhura. I, personally, am a SpockNyota fan, but this scene can be viewed upon as friendly, siblingish, or fluffy. I'll leave it up to your imagination.**

**R&R **

* * *

I studied the map at every angle. The small, red signal was precisely fifteen feet and three point five inches beneath the ground, meaning that the most likely scenario would be that, if the ceilings were the usual eight feet high, the person carrying Nyota's earpiece would be sitting two floors down, in the South-Western corner.

I stood up from where I was at the main panel and sat back in the Captain's chair.

"Bridge to Transporter Room."

"This is Scotty," said the distinctly Scottish voice.

"Lieutenant Scott, we require your presence in the bridge. Bridge out."

Sulu looked up from where he was at the helm. "Any tricks up your sleeves?"

I looked at him blankly. I never understood that expression - why would I put anything up my sleeves when I have pockets? I told him this and he just shook his head, returning his attention to the panel before him.

Scotty walked through the turbolift within moments. "What can I do for you, Commander?" he asked me.

I gestured to the screen before us, the signal and map still on it. "I called you up here to inquire if you could beam me there," I informed him, raising my hand to point to the signal.

He studied the screen for a moment. "Sir, is that..?"

"Yes, it seems one of our crewmates - Lieutenant Uhura, most likely - is giving off a signal."

He looked at me in a way I couldn't comprehend.

"I'm sorry, Sir. There is just no way to beam someone underground. You can end up in the floor, or the ceiling, or a wall," he explained to me, running his hand through his hair with a frown.

I had conjectured this would be the case, but the disappointment still hit me after I was told this. For a moment I thought of abandoning my idea of a rescue and following orders, but my mother's face came to mind.

_I already lost_ her.

_Could I lose Nyota, too?_

I knew I was faced with the so-called "point of no return" as I considered what to do next. I had only been in this position twice before - in my decision to attend Starfleet Academy and my decision to enter a romantic relationship with Nyota Uhura. Both of these choices seemed illogical to me when made, but neither decision I grew to regret... Would I end up regretting this one?

"What time is it in Abrigon, Ensign Chekov?" I inquired, my chair swerving to face him.

"It is now 10:14, Sir."

I nodded. "Affirmative." I hesitated for a moment, looking at the three men surrounding me in turn. I remembered the numerous speeches Nyota has given me about overworking a boy of Pavel Chekov's age, so turned to Sulu.

"Lieutenant Sulu, you will be accompanying me to the planet surface. Chekov, I leave you in charge. I want you, Scotty, to be ready to beam people up on my signal. I also want one of you to alert Nurse Chapel once we've left to be ready for any crew members who will need to be treated," I ordered.

Everyone, after a short moment of hesitant disbelief, sprang into action. Two young Yeomans walked through the door, still chatting about something that happened during their dinner break. Chekov interrupted them, quickly sending one of them to alert Christine Chapel and the other to sit at the communicator panel.

"And be sure to don your sword, Lieutenant. We may need it more than we are expecting," I told him, pacing to the turbolift after patting Ensign Chekov on the back - I did not know why the Captain always thought this was a soothing action, for I merely found it unnecessarily painful.

The lift quickly moved, passing by floors slower, it seemed, than usual. I was fast, however, making up time that was lost. Into my quarters, grabbing what I would need, out of my quarters, back into the turbolift.

_They will be okay._

_- - -_

I gently gripped his arms, holding him steady as more blood and saliva projected from his mouth. McCoy held a rag to Jim's mouth, a fabric I recognized as his shirt sleeve. It was touching, seeing this older man care for Jim so much - he had already sacrificed his coat for him, probably already saving him from any sorts of viruses that could threaten his health even more so.

"Okay, here we go, Jim," I murmured to him gently as McCoy helped me lay him back down. Luckily, he did not have a fever, although my instincts told me it was very likely to happen. McCoy stood up, gesturing away from the Captain, implying he needed to speak with me. I started to stand, but the hushed voice beside me stopped my movements.

"It seems to me that you've seen me beaten up and battered more times than you've seen me in good health," he wheezed with a twinkle in his eye. I laughed softly.

"I'm sure you clean up well."

"I hope you get to see it."

I tried to roll my eyes, the movement difficult.

"Don't be so dramatic," I told him, moving some hair from his eyes, "When you were accused of cheating, you had to look appropriate."

He smirked. "I meant without looking like an asshole."

"Sorry to break it to you, but there aren't a lot of moments when that's not the case."

He chuckled softly, his eyes searching the dark ceiling silently.

"I was just kidding you, Jim."

"Were you?" His eyes looked to mine, but mine looked into the darkness outside of our prison where there was still no sign of our captors.

"Yes," I told him, my hand still on his shoulder, "I was."

He smiled. "Oh, and don't forget I had to where a dress uniform when promoted to Captain of a Starship," he added and I nodded.

We stayed silent for a moment.

"Great load of good I'm doing as a Captain," he whispered.

I looked down at the man who was more broken than I had ever seen him. James Tiberius Kirk in a tattered, bloodied uniform and oversized coat, covered head-to-toe with bruises and other injuries not visible to the naked eye.

"You couldn't have known this was going to happen, Jim."

I didn't mention his drinking. He didn't need a reminder.

"Your boyfriend must be so proud of me." Was that disappointment I heard?

I looked down at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I never deserved to be Captain, Nyota. This is a different timeline, a different reality. Whoever the man I was supposed to be was, I'm definitely not here."

"I don't understand."

"Spock deserves to be Captain, should have been already, but at least he soon will be."

"And why is that?" I asked him, regretting what the answer would be.

"By the time back up gets here - because, trust me, the Fed'll be sending backup once he contacts them, we'll be long gone. Where, I don't know. But that's why he deserves it - he follows the rules, he knows how to handle these situations. I could never to that, anyway."

I looked to McCoy who was watching us through tired eyes, his dark hair sticking out at random places from how many times he has run his hands through it tonight. I felt a small sense of admiration for the man - he would care for Kirk with no complaints, only to sit down and say nothing of any injuries he may have. I intended on telling him what a good Medical Chief he was next time I deemed appropriate.

"Do you know why you became Captain?"

He looked at me blankly for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "I can honestly say I have no idea. I thought maybe because we defeated Nero...?"

"Who do you think would have prompted both Captain Pike and the Federation?"

He looked at me in disbelief, his blue eyes holding my gaze with ease. "He never wanted to be Captain, Jim. He's been tracking towards becoming a Science Officer his entire time at Starfleet. If he didn't think you fit the job, he wouldn't have recommended you for it."

I took the break in conversation as a good time to stand up and make my way over to Dr. McCoy where he leaned against the wall.

"Uhura, I had to explain to you - " a sickly clang cut him off and a few yells and grunts. We both stood up, although, with an expletive or two, the doctor had to snap at Jim not to move a muscle if he wanted to heal properly, eliciting a few childish whines from the other. I walked towards where Rand and Hawkins were being held.

"What happened?" I whispered to them, although a man walking under the light ahead of us answered my question.

The man, obviously Niburan because of his physical traits, held over his shoulder a dead Ensign Joseph. He looked badly burned, but I couldn't tell cause of death from this distance.

"This is what happens to those who try to escape!" the Niburan exclaimed in his own language, swinging the body into the sharp rock wall beside him, causing the skull to be cracked open in a sickening display.

I heard a gag behind me, and I turned to see the Captain vomiting again. I brought my hand to my heart in concern, but McCoy was already aiding him. When I turned back to look outside our cell, my eyes locked with the black ones of the Niburan before me. His eyes wouldn't leave mine until he seemed to hear something coming from down the corridor.

"Cuse, Zesthu."

_Soon, Queen._

I swallowed.

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**Thanks for waiting, all! More to come out soon.**

**Plus - if you tell me what you want, I may take some things into consideration, so keep that in mind. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, everyone!**

**Woot Woot, chapter 9! I think I may actually finish this one!**

**Disclaimer: Even though I wish every night that, come Christmas Morning, I will wake up to Spock in a bright blue bow, I know that will never happen - I do not own these characters. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Zesthu, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!**

* * *

I watched the rise and fall of Jim's chest as I sat beside McCoy, his arm around my shoulders in a friendly, paternal manner.

"He doesn't have long, Uhura," he told me with a concerned frown. I looked back up at him, concern and hesitant belief evident in my expression. "Broken ribs, a possible concussion, the chance of a punctured lung, the risk of infection and illness - all of these things are exactly pointing in the right direction."

"How long?"

A groan interrupted us, and I looked over to see Jim roll in his sleep. I assumed he must have hurt himself while doing so. I stood up, carefully making my way over to him, not wanting to wake him up. In his dreams he can be anywhere else in the galaxy - no pain, no hunger, no thirst, no darkness...

- - -

The doors before me slipped open smoothly, allowing me passage into the engineering room where Scotty and Sulu waited for me. My shoes made a clapping sound on the white floor tile, interrupting the stark silence of the room. By the expressions on their faces, I judged that they were still in disbelief that we were about to beam down.

"Do you have the coordinates set?" I asked the Chief Engineer, standing up onto the transporter pad that Sulu was already on. I situated myself on one of the white circles, taking out my phaser so as to be ready for whatever we may face upon beaming down.

"Affirmative, Mr. Spock."

"I would very much appreciate it if you stay prepared for our return."

He nodded. "Of course, Commander," he said, fiddling with the control panel for a moment. I set my phaser to stun.

"Energize." I heard him say as our bodies started to dematerialize. I felt myself come back together on the planet surface. It took me a second to adjust my eyes to the minimal lighting.

Once satisfied that there was no one there, I turned to Sulu. We were exactly two floors above where Uhura was at that moment. "Do you see anything?" I whispered.

He just shook his head.

I started searching. A few yards away was the government building in all of its glory. The lighting from inside cast light on the ground near us. Moving carefully, we avoiding them while looking for a way underneath the ground.

After a few more minutes I pulled out my communicator. "Spock to Enterprise. Chekov, we need a way in," I whispered into it.

I heard the sound of fingers clicking keys. A shadow passed by our feet and we hurried to cover ourselves - it was a false alarm, however - a guard was merely rolling up the sun drapes.

"Cover yerselves - I'll see vat I kin do, keptin."

- - -

I roll over onto my side. The pain of it so severe my head swims and my breaths come in gasps and wheezes.

As much as I like to act it, I'm no idiot - I know that something is terribly wrong, I know that I can die here. But complaining about how much pain I'm in won't help at all. If anything, it would just upset her more. And the pain... it's not that bad - I'm not dead yet, am I?

I glanced at them - Bones' arm was around her, comforting her about something. I wanted to be the one to do that, and the alien who made that not possible is going to get a beating next time I see him.

My violent turn of thoughts was stopped when her eyes fell to the floor, welling up with water. My heart lurched. She would never let them escape, though. She was always so professional, always so calm, strong - she had too much dignity. Uhura would understand why I can't show the pain - it's the same reason she can't shed her tears.

As I watched as he frowned, whispering to her gently, it occurred to me that I didn't want to know what it was that made her so upset. I tried to turn back over to face the wall, but a groan escaped me at the pain that swarmed me.

They stopped talking.

I felt like I was a kid again, showing up to class after I did something stupid like driving a corvette off a cliff. All my classmates would gossip in hushed, hasty words about what had occurred the day before and would suddenly stop talking when I came near them.

My heart lurched again, bitter tasting fear leaving a metallic taste in my mouth.

A shadow fell over me. "Are you okay?" the warm voice asked me.

"Fine," I lied, trying to smile up at her. The expression was distorted, I knew, but so was hers.

Instead of calling me out on my lie, though, she just asked me, "Do you need any help?"

I stubbornly shook my head. She understood, though, like I knew she would.

She was like me.

"You know, how about we lean against the wall together. You probably don't need my help, but it would make me feel better."

"Well, I guess. If it makes you feel better. You know how I like making people feel good," I said with a smirk and she laughed.

Every cloud has a silver lining - I guess, because of my injuries, Uhura's laughing at my jokes instead of slapping me.

I didn't want to read too far into it, though.

Bones appeared above her shoulder as she was helping me move against the wall. "Someone is coming." his words caused tingling sensation down my spine, but ignored it.

We waited a moment, but soon resumed when we heard nothing. They each took an arm and helped me sit against the wall.

"There we are," she said with a smile, moving to stand in front of me. I swore I could see something over her shoulder, though - a tall something...

"Uhura, watch out!" I exclaimed, using Bones' arm to pull myself up with a strength that I later attributed to adrenaline.

I launched myself at one of the men, punching and kicking as hard as my injuries would allow me too. I heard the other fall to the ground beside me, and I knew that Bones was the one responsible, due to his excited curses.

I yelped when the Niburan hit my ribs, though a small part of me was happy that I coughed blood all over our captor. Seemingly effortlessly, he flung me off of him.

The last thing I could here before I passed out was Uhura calling my name, concern and fear lacing her voice.

Where's that pointy-eared bastard when you needed him?

- - -

"Enterprise to Commander Spock."

"This is Spock," I whispered into the communicator.

"I was able to hack into their database and find blueprints for the government building. I have sent them to your PADD."

I felt my eyes roll, an action I inherited from all the time I've spent with Nyota. "I do not have my PADD," I reminded him hastily.

Chekov hesitated. "Alright... Well, the government building was built many years ago, you see. So, before they added their turbolift, they used stairs. These stairs have been neglected over the years, so you will be able to use them," he told me. I nodded, remembering reading about the renovation of the building.

"Are there security cameras?" Sulu asked over my shoulder.

"Yes. I was able to hack into those, too. Strangely enough, though, there is no one inside beside the two guards situated outside of the Joremur's quarters, but you won't need to pass by that. I will trick the cameras, just in case, but you shouldn't need to worry. The stairs should be on the left on the end of the hallway, the only door near the glass wall Northern glass wall."

"Thank you, Ensign Chekov. Spock out," I said into the communicator.

"Good luck, Commander. Chekov out."

I looked at the communicator in confusion before closing it.

"I don't understand the need to say that - there is no such thing as luck - only chance affected by probability," I said, turning to Sulu. He merely shrugged, turning his attention to the building towering over us.

"So we just walk right in?" he asked me.

"It appears so," I responded, tucking my communicator in my pocket and holding my phaser at the ready.

We cautiously walked toward the building, watching and listening for any changes surrounding us. We finally made it to the door and slowly entered.

Chekov was correct - the place appeared to be deserted.

Although this was the case, we were still cautious on our way to the door at the end of the hall - walking carefully, creeping behind chairs, listening for footsteps until we reached the door. I opened it, observing the traditional doorknob for a moment before stepping into the stairwell.

It was obviously old and out of date - the white walls were covered in dust and cobwebs from nonuse. We descended the stairs, me pointing my phaser ahead and Sulu pointing his phaser behind us until we reached the basement two floors down.

"Set phaser to stun," I whispered to him, my heart rate increasing by my hip. I took a deep, calming breath before quickly throwing the door open and slipping the both of us inside.

The lighting was dim, almost black. We appeared to be in a cave-like environment judging by the walls and ceiling and the moist air.

As we approached the left turn, we pressed our backs against the wall, counting down from three before looking around the corner, our phasers out. Cells lined the walls.

"Commander Spock, Sulu!" Exclaimed an Ensign quietly, who was immediately shushed.

I turned to Sulu. "Look for keys - this isn't everyone."

Nyota wasn't here.

He nodded, immediately scanning the walls while I turned the next corner, trying to listen for any signs of life.

"I've never been so happy to see you, you bloody elf!" I heard a gruff voice exclaim in a whisper.

"Doctor McCoy, is that you?"

Janice Rand appeared at the bars to my right, along with Hawkins. I heard the scuffing of feet and I knew that Sulu must have released the others. As I thought this, he rounded the corner, holding up the keys.

"Yeah," he called over, though I couldn't see him.

"Jim is unconscious, and has been since they took Nyota," Yeoman Rand told me as Sulu unlocked her cell.

"Two of them came in, fought with us, and took Nyota once we were disposed of," McCoy said, appearing at the bars. He had a black eye and his arm was bleeding, "Then all of the other guards followed them."

I turned to Sulu as he started unlocking the next cell. "It is your duty to make sure all of these crewmen get beamed up safely. Be sure that the Captain is in Nurse Chapel's care immediately. I will go find Nyota," I told him.

I started to walk down the hall, but Dr McCoy grabbed my arm, "I refuse to let you go on a suicide mission - not like I care about you, but if you go alone there's no chance Uhura will survive."

"Are you saying I cannot save her?"

"I'm saying you're going to need help," he said, looking me straight in the eyes. I nodded, not wanting to waste time arguing about it.

Sulu handed McCoy his phaser before walking into the cell with Lieutenant Hawkins to get the Captain.

"Good luck," Yeoman Rand said to us before turning to catch up with the others. As she walked away, I turned to McCoy.

"There is no such thing as luck," I insisted.

"Maybe not, but I wouldn't mind some.

- - -

The bindings were tight around my wrists and ankles, and growing ever tighter the more I fought against them. They would surely leave marks if I got out of here. To my right, behind the few Niburan's in the room, was a table, stretching along the wall. On that table I could see the offending chemical - as it burned, it gave off a pungent smell that made my eyes water. It had a milky color to it and looked to be the consistency of wax when one of the men began to stir it. I swallowed out of fear.

They spoke to each other in their native tongue, and I listened raptly, learning as I did so.

I was to be a pawn in their corrupt politics. Although they hated humans, they knew that I was their only hope. They would try to trick the Federation, and I would be their puppet.

I learned that many rulers in their history had done this same thing in order to rule - these people included the Joremur. Some leaders in history have been so cruel as to blind their children as babies so royalty would stay in the family. Niburan's regained their sight over time, however. They didn't care if I was blinded or in pain. In fact, they spoke of the pain I was about to forego in excitedly hushed tones.

They would tape each torturing of the crew and, through a traitor in the Joremur's house, would deliver it to him to broadcast. They already started with Jim.

I felt tears sting at my eyes that weren't induced by the putrid smell and tried to hold them back, not wanting them to feel any victory in making the human woman cry. Spock wasn't coming to save me, Jim and the rest of the crew would die down here on a classic video camera.

I soon realized that this was to be ritualistic when one of the men picked up a kind of knife. I had never seen anything like it before - there were two blades, the metal a blue-ish white color. When he pressed it to my skin it burned like fire, causing me to scream out in pain. He did not pierce the skin, merely held it there as another of the men picked up a ladle of somekind and dipped it into the boiling pot. The others watched fixedly, the room finally silenced. I couldn't hold back a small whimper, causing some to chuckle and others to smirk. I closed my eyes.

"_Neic, Fausihila."_

_No, please don't._

I heard someone scream and soon realized that it wasn't me. There was no pain.

My eyes snapped open just as one of the Niburans fell to the floor, stunned. I had never felt more relief in my life when I saw Spock and McCoy rush through the door. I fought against my bindings, trying to free myself as they fought with the unsuspected Niburans.

It was chaos as I looked on, not noticing the Niburan coming to me with the ladle that had been dropped to the floor, now holding a fresh scoop of the boiling liquid.

"No!" I heard myself shout before Spock got a hold of him. I screamed, a few small drops of the chemical falling on my stomach. It burned horribly and I smelled burning flesh. They couldn't help me, though, and I understood that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw McCoy stab one of them with the five-pronged tool that had been hanging on the wall, rendering him helpless before shooting him, as well.

My eyes connected with Spock's as he reached for the tub of wax. His emotions were overcoming him, his eyes seemed ignited with rage. I had never seen him so wild.

He visibly calmed, his shoulders relaxing as he set the wax back down. I saw McCoy look for keys as Spock stood by my side, brushing tendrils of wild hair out of my face. No words were spoken.

"Found 'em," I heard McCoy say, walking over with the bronze keys and started to unlock my bindings. Spock pulled out his communicator, paging Enterprise.

"Was everyone beamed aboard safely?" "Yes, sir, those who have not lost their lives," I heard Chekov's voice say. I thought back to the Ensign who had been battered before my eyes.

"Sir, the chief tried contacting the vessel - "

"We will speak of that later. Stand by, Enterprise. Spock out," he said, closing the communicator hastily.

I took his hand and he helped me stand, my legs a little wobbly, before he led us out of our prison.

"We were under the government building all this time?" I asked him as we climbed the stairs.

"Yes. Do you remember how you arrived, Doctor?"

"Yeah. We were taken by car to a cave West of here. It must have connected underground," he told us. That would make sense, seeing as Niburan history speaks of underground cities. I told him so, and he nodded.

"The underground was vast, I could see how that would be possible."

Once safely outside, Spock pulled out his communicator once more. "Spock to Enterprise."

"This is Enterprise. Mr Spock, the Chief - "

"I will take whatever punishment is dealt to me, beam us aboard," he said calmly. My eyes connected with his as we dematerialized, the light from the sunrise lighting up the Government building much the way it did when we first arrived. It was hard to believe something so hateful could be so beautiful.

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**  
Gee, that was the longest chapter I've ever written! R&R, folks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:I do not own these characters. I also do not own Ramen Noodles. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Zesthu, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, the Niburan language, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!  Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and subscriptions.**

**And yes, there are Ramen Noodles in the future! You have to admit, they must be very handy in space...**

**After this I have atleast 2 comedy oneshots, a fluffy multi chapter, and I always put out fluffy oneshots... So watch out once I finish this!**

**Also, I just released a oneshot about the mentioned Bolian Flu incident... So feel free to go check that out! (Fic is called The Bolian Flu)**

**R&R **

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The first person I saw when we beamed up was Chekov. I smiled at him, purely happy that I lived to see him again, but his face was cold - something was wrong.

"Perhaps you should accompany Dr. McCoy to the sickbay to treat your injuries," Spock said, capturing my attention once more. I thought about this, my hand instinctively going to the burn on my abdomen, but I shook my head. "Those beds should be filled with people who need more help than I do. I'll get some ice later." McCoy agreed with me, "You should come in later, though, once more patients are stabilized." Then, after thanking Scotty for his good job beaming us aboard, he left for the sickbay to help Nurse Chapel.

"It is imperative that I speak with you," I heard Chekov whisper to Spock.  Spock turned to look at me. "Perhaps you should go rest, you have been through many difficulties as of late." "No, I would much rather do my job," I told him. He relented by beginning to walk through the automative door with Chekov and me in stride.

"The Chief contacted us again to check for progress," Chekov began as we walked through the long corridor to the turbolift, "When not met with you acting as Captain, we were told there would be serious consequences for your actions."

"I had anticipated that would have been the case," he responded softly as we stepped into the turbolift. His face was calm as always, but I felt the feeling of dread seep into my heart - the Enterprise might have been my dream, but I didn't want to be here without him.

The doors opened to the bridge and Chekov walked out in front of us, but I held Spock back.

"You disobeyed orders?" I asked him in a whisper.

"It was the logical thing to do."

- - -

When I stepped out of my bathroom, still wrapped in a towel from my sonic shower, I was met by Spock sitting at the table, his fingers steepled in front of his face, something he often did when deep in thought.

I tightened my towel around myself instinctively and cleared my throat, walking over to his side. When I was finally forced out by the rest of the bridge to rest, it was obvious he did not want to leave, so I was curious.

"Changed your mind?" I asked him, running my fingers through his straight, symmetrical hair.

"Not by choice - I nearly had a mutiny on my hands. They forced me out for the same reason they forced you and Lieutenant Sulu - they thought we all needed our rest," he told me, leaning into my touch ever-so-slightly.

He eyed my dripping hair with concern. "If your hair drips water steadily at the rate it has been since you exited the bathroom, it is very likely you will slip," he warned me, and I smiled.

"Thanks for the warning."

I walked past the small screen that separated my living area from my bedroom area.

"I should get dressed," I said as an excuse.

"You are not required to work."

"I know, but..." I trailed off. He was right, of course, plus they probably wouldn't let me - as he said, there was almost a mutiny when it was obvious we wanted to work.

Something had been gnawing away at my brain, a curiosity that wouldn't be satisfied, so I asked him, "How did you find us, anyway?"

He stood up to reach for my tattered uniform that had been carelessly discarded when I entered my room and slipped his hand into the pocket, pulling out my silver earpiece.

'_Thank God for my carelessness,'_ I thought with relief.

"I must have accidently brought it down with me."

He nodded in agreement, placing my little savior on the center of the table.

"Have you eaten?"

"No, but neither have you," I countered, dropping my towel to the floor.

I was momentarily distracted by the milky white burn the chemical had left on my stomach - my uniform took most of the hit, but there was still there, a permanent reminder of what had happened. There was another on my wrist, but much dimmer - a curving line about two inches long from the knife that was held there. I was hoping that one would fade away, since the chemical was in solid form when held to my skin, but I supposed it wasn't likely.

I slipped on the black undershirt that everyone wore under their uniforms, but didn't bother with the red uniform - I wasn't allowed to work, anyway - so I opted for the small privacy shorts I often wore under my red skirt.

"You can check my minifridge, but I know how you don't always like my food," I said, walking out from my bedroom area, "I'm going to have Ramen."

He reached the small package before I did - Vulcan reflexes, I guess - opening it up and already started boiling water.

"You should rest."

I raised an eyebrow, a lame impression of his trademark gesture. I recognized that tone of voice - the last time he used it was when I came down with the Bolian Flu...

"Oh-kay," I said, walking to the ice generator. He gave me a look.

"What?"

"Rest."

I sighed dejectedly, going to sit on my bed. "This is completely unnecessary," I objected with a pout. He didn't pay me any heed, though, pouring the ramen into the boiling water.

He then brought over the ice I was hoping to get myself. "Thanks," I told him, placing it on my abdomen. The mark was uncomfortably hot, but had long lost the burning sensation.

"You're welcome."

I had the silly, childish inclination to stick my tongue out at him, but I internally scolded myself - if he wants to baby me, he can. I knew it must have made him feel better on some level.

"If I may ask," I started as he rounded the corner, bowl in hand, "Why did you find the decision to rescue us logical?"

I could see the emotions cloud his gaze before he masked them again and got up to retrieve the finished noodles. He then sat at the edge of my bed, placing the ramen on my bedside table, beside the holonovel my mother had given me for my birthday right before we departed on our mission. For a moment I didn't think he was going to answer.

He folded his hands in his lap. "I found it very unlikely that the crew would survive by the time backup arrived - the human body can only endure three days without water, and it was likely the climate of Niburan would cause dehydration..." He trailed off.

"I could understand that," I told him, wrapping my arms around my legs. He noticed this, of course, pulling the blanket over my bare legs before he continued.

"That, however, was the excuse I later formulated, the original being that every other seeming illogical decision I have made in my life, such as joining Starfleet, or pursuing our relationship," his hand drifted to cover mine, "I have not grown to regret. Somehow, it seemed to me that, since I do not regret them, I would not regret this decision, either. I now find that that decision in itself is both impulsive and illogical."

He fell to silent musing for a moment before picking up the bowl of ramen. "You are lacking nourishment," he told me, eyeing the ramen with disdain, before handing it to me.

He began to stand up, but I grabbed his arm, carelessly making the soup splash in the small bowl. "You don't have to keep waiting on me," I told him, scooting over, "Just sit."

He looked at me skeptically. I could almost hear his words in my head _'You have been kidnapped, starved, and harassed...'_ but he didn't say anything and, after kicking his shoes off, stretched out on top of the blanket beside me.

"When did you last eat?" I asked, starting on my ramen noodles.

"My body is much different than yours - I will be fine," he tried to assure me. I gave him a knowing look, before I turned my attention back to my ramen.

"Computer, what time is it?" I said, placing the almost-empty bowl on the table next to us.

"One twenty-eight AM." The robotic voice recited.

"Computer, dim lights."

I turned to him, as he spoke he pulled his ripped, uniform shirt over his head before carefully folding it and setting it beside the bed. I smiled, thinking of how I would just toss it in the general direction of the hamper.

I curled into his side as he slipped under the blanket beside me, weaving my arms through his, and closed my eyes. I now knew why he told me to rest - I was exhausted. I felt the much needed sleep pulling at the edges of my consciousness...

"I have a matter to discuss with you," he whispered into my now almost-dry hair.

I forced the impending sleep away from my mind. "Yeah?" I answered drowsily, enjoying the feeling of his warm breath on my ear.

"The matter of bonding."

That surely woke me up. My eyes widened after he said this, all thoughts of sleep out of my head. "Bonding?" I parroted, still not sure I quite heard him correctly.

I could feel him hesitate around me. "Yes."

"Computer, lights at level three."

"Level two," he intercepted. Was he... Nervous? I knew better than to question a Vulcans emotions, him having told me on different occasions that Vulcans felt emotions more extremely than humans do.

The lights became a little brighter, although not by much. I tucked my head beneath his chin, trying to help him calm and control his emotions, as I knew he was trying to do.

"Okay, shoot," I told him, wrapping my arms around him again. My heart accelerated and I took a deep breath.

"It would be, ah, a good solution to what had happened. The telepathy aspect of the bond would be a large help if you, along with others, go missing again."

I couldn't help but feel he chickened out at the last minute. My mood dampened.

"Only a solution?"

He hesitated again. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he tried to think of an adequate answer.

I pulled back, looking him square in the eyes. I gently reached up to caress his face.

The great Commander Spock seemed to be speechless.

"I love you. I haven't heard you say that to me since you rescued me," I told him softly, "If I was to bond with you, it would be because of that. Not for the sake of the ship."

I sighed, turning my back to him and closed my eyes. So much for a nice night with my Vulcan after being kidnapped, prisoned, bound...

I felt his hand tentatively rest on my waist. I was unresponsive - it was his turn to figure this one out, and I wasn't going to spell it out for him.

He didn't say anything, though, as he pulled his hand back to his side of the bed.

I woke up in the morning to an empty bed an tears staining my face.

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**That chapter ended up being the complete opposite of what I was expecting it to be! Now _I_**** can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter, lol... Please R&R!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, all.**

**Gee, that previous chapter turned out to be nothing like I had expected... So I wonder where it takes me. I am totally open to ideas and critiques.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Ramen Noodles. I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Zesthu, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, the Niburan language, and all that other stuff. So you no steal!**

**I am so honored by all the wonderful reviews. Thank you so much for your time! After this chapter, it may take me a little while to update - I have a book report due Thursday, and I haven't finished either of the books it's supposed to be on... Oops! And then I will be going on vacation. The upside to that is that I will be writing constantly, but the downside is that I may not be able to post that week... But hey, lots for you to read when I get back!**

**R&R **

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I was happy to be working again, happy to have the rush of foreign voices in my head instead of my own. I worked, fluidly typing in the translation, feeling myself get lost in the different voices of people who I may never meet.

I felt the tension between myself and Spock slip away as I lost myself in words.

_He asked me to bond with him._

I looked down at my hands. It was an honor.

I thought of how it made my heart fly when he first tried to bring it up. I was ecstatic, but then...

I also thought of saying yes anyway, trying to derive some sort of happiness from the act, but knew I wouldn't truly be happy if our bonding was to only benefit the crew.

"Lieutenant Uhura?" "What?" I snapped under my breath. "How much time until back up arrives?"

I calculated it on my computer, knowing full well he already knew the answer. "Ten hours and thirty-seven minutes, Commander," I responded coldly before reverting my attention back to the log of alien chatter.  "Is something the matter, Lieutenant?" "No, _Sir_," I was partially insulted that he called me out on my bad attitude - he actually sounded concerned.

I was immature. I could admit that. And I was _okay_ with that.

In a matter of hours back up would get here. Soon after that, Spock would go on trial.

I realized I didn't want to be on this five-year mission without him.

I took my earpiece out, the same silver earpiece that had led him to me when we were in trouble. I rubbed my head, gently trying to ease away the impending migraine.

"Lieutenant, you may go have lunch now." "I'm not hungry," I lied, picking my earpiece back up. I did however, need out of this room.

"I should go check in with McCoy," I said, standing up and placing my earpiece in my pocket, much the same way I did before we beamed down to Niburan.

He said nothing as I made my way to the turbolift. I entered and waited as I passed floors. I took a deep breath, resting against the wall of the lift, closing my eyes.

I felt it come to a stop, so I straightened myself up and walked out the doors, down the corridor to sickbay. I was first greeted with Nurse Chapel, her white and gray hair in a neat bun on her head.

"McCoy said I should stop in when I had the chance," I told her. She nodded. "Did you obtain any injuries when on Niburan?" she asked me, leading me to a spare bed. I looked at the rows of beds taking up the small room, full of crewmen.  "Not really, only some minor burns," I told her, pulling up my shirt to show her the white burn that was still a few degrees warmer than the rest of my skin and oddly tingled.

She studied it with curiosity, telling me she had never seen anything like it. "It was from a chemical they were hoping to blind me with." She nodded. "I heard about that," she said, gently reaching toward it. She pulled back with a gasp. "Does that hurt you at all?" she asked me, sucking her finger automatically. "No, Ma'am. Only when I got it, but now it's just a little warm and tingly. Why?" I asked.

She looked at it with concern. "Well, it burned me. Nothing to worry about, just a little shocking. Do you have any others?"

I nodded, showing her the one on my right wrist. She hesitantly reached for it, and didn't jump like she did when she touched my first one.

"This one is cooler than the other," she observed.

"Well, this one was made with a knife - I guessed it must have been a solid form of the chemical, whereas the other one was made with the chemical being boiled."

She studied it for a little longer. "Sorry, the only thing I can think of is ice," she told me apologetically.

I stood up. "How is the Captain?" I asked her as I walked do the door. She frowned. "You can see him, if you'd like," she told me. I followed her into another room.

McCoy stood beside his bed, checking the machine above the sleeping form of Kirk. "What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"Well, he's in an induced coma, so he can heal faster. Three broken ribs, one of which punctured one of his lungs, a mild concussion, and a broken wrist. None are infected, which is good. Much later and he wouldn't have been so lucky," he told me. I noticed his black eye.

"How about you? Are you well?" "Well. But don't you worry about me - I'm the doctor, not the patient," he told me with a small smile.

"I'm happy to hear it," I told him with a smile in return.

I sat down beside Jim's bed, taking one of his hands in mine, wishing he was awake to make some sort of boneheaded comment that would leave me in a jovial mood.

- - -

I walked down to sickbay after Sulu had replaced me, hoping to check on the progress of the Captain. Rumors have quickly been spreading through the ship regarding his condition and I hoped to straighten them out.

Nurse Chapel escorted me to the room where Jim Kirk was being treated. McCoy was checking his vitals as Nyota sat beside him, holding Jim's hand in hers. An overwhelming emotion flooded my core for a split second before I controlled it, an emotion I often felt when I saw them together.

Jealousy.

"Doctor McCoy, I came to check on the Captain's condition," I said, causing Nyota to turn her head to me before quickly turning away.

"He is in an induced coma," he explained to me before telling me of his injuries, which would take some time to heal. He would not need to be in a coma for long, though. This made me feel some relief, but also some trepidation - The trial would most likely be held once the Captain was better.

"Lieutenant, may I speak with you outside?"

She hesitated before standing up, reluctant to leave the room. I saw her gently place the hand back on the bed before stepping out ahead of me with dignity.

"What do you want, Commander?" she asked me sharply, turning on her heal to face me. Her words hit me like a blow to the stomach would - hard, painful, disconcerting. I maintained my calm facade. "You appeared distressed on the bridge this morning, Nyota." "I wasn't," she denied it automatically. "Perhaps it is your lack of nourishment. You did not eat breakfast this morning, nor lunch this afternoon - "

She held up her hand, ceasing my words. "I assure you, Commander, I am fine. However, if you think eating would be a good _solution_ to my moodswings, I'll take it under consideration."

I didn't speak. Neither of us did. The silence that swirled around us tauntingly pulled me apart.

"You will have to go to trial," she said softly. "It was expected." "You might get dismissed from this mission," she said in a small, almost fearful voice. "That has not been established. But if that was to happen it would be well worth it," I informed her, watching her eyes change from fear to another emotion I did not recognize.

After a moment she cleared her throat.

"Are you positive you are alright?" "Of course I am. There is no reason for you to be concerned." She then turned on her heal and walked back through the double doors, obviously opting to spend her lunch hour in sick bay rather than the Mess Hall.

"Trouble in paradise?" I heard McCoy's voice ask in the distance in the distance, eliciting an irritated silence from Nyota.

If there was no reason for me to be concerned, why did this bother me so?

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**Neither my best chapter or my longest chapter, but something to hold you over until I am able to write again. Enjoy!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, guys! Finally done with my summer homework, thank God... Now I have all my vacation time to write for you!**

**Oh, and for any of you who go on Fiction Press, I have an account there, too. So far, I think there are about 12 original stories on there. :) Nothing long, mostly oneshots or monologues.**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Star Trek, only Niburan related thingys, O'turan, and this story.**

**R&R**

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They arrived late that evening. I remember seeing them approach the vessel on our SONAR with a strange feeling of dread. I should have been happy they were coming - they would take action, find out who was really responsible for our kidnapping, possibly have them arrested... I glanced at Spock, his expression stone cold. I expected no less.

"Enterprise, this is USS Shenandoah. We are approaching your vessel. The USS Republic follows approximately eight minutes behind us."

"Commander, switching USS Shenandoah to main screen," I told him.

The face of a petite, blond woman came on the screen. "Permission to beam aboard Chief of Operations, First Officer Petty, and Ensign McGee."

I looked up. Of course Spock showed no outward sign of surprise, but the Chief's arrival was completely unexpected. This was serious. I remember the feeling of cold fear gripping at my stomach, causing it to flip in a feeble attempt to flee from its hold.

"Affirmative, Enterprise out. Scotty, prepare to beam aboard the Chief of Operations, USS Shenandoah First Officer Petty, and USS Shenandoah Ensign McGee."

I remember looking up at him, our eyes connecting before I, along with others whose shifts had ended, was dismissed.

I looked at the mirror before me. Hours have passed, hours in which I attempted to sleep with no real success. My bed seeming as massive as it had when I was a little girl, like a large expanse of barren land waiting to be conquered. I was dressed in my dress uniform - I snapped the jacket's collar into place before pulling my hair up.

"All crewmembers meant to be present for Commander Spock's trial, please be in Conference Room number four in twenty minutes."

My eyes scanned the room, my mind already becoming numb in response to today's events. On the shelves were things I deemed necessary and important enough to bring with me - A shiny rock I had found as a child in the woods, a picture of my mother, an old wooden jewelry box that had been given to me as a birthday present when I was thirteen... My eyes stayed on that, moving to open it. In it were letters I have received over the years, small nicknacks I've picked up - My hands moved to one in particular.

The memory came back to me strongly, hitting my senses like a cold bucket of water would.

_Gaila was laughing with me as we took out clothes, teasing each other as we decided what to wear.  "You look like an old maid - come on! You only turn twenty-one once, Ny!" I remember her shrieking, pulling away the appropriate outfit I had picked out for a night out with everyone, "This is the first time you're actually leaving your studies for _fun_. You need to be a completely different woman!"_

_She came out of the closet, holding a dress that I deemed horribly slutty. "No way, Gaila. I am not going to be the skank from Star Fleet Academy!"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Oh, it looks better on. Come on, wear it - The only red I've ever seen you wear is your freaking uniform." "At least it's not a _strip-club_ uniform!"  She good-heartedly rolled her eyes again. "Just try it," she said with a grin, and I relented. I was in too happy spirits to disagree._

_And she was right, of course. She always had an eye for that sort of stuff. Gaila refused to let me wear my hair up, and everything had to be perfect. She saw to it._

_And everything _was_ perfect. I still remember all the dancing, all the drinking - although I am quite happy to say I did not do the most of that! - all of the fun we had, just Gaila, myself, Janice, and some girls from our other classes. _

_And of course, after paying for my drinks, which I vehemently protested, she went home with some guy named - I can't even remember is name - promising me we'll have a girly slumber party the next night. Of course I wasn't sure whether to be excited or dread it._

_I walked home by myself, my cheeks still sore from all the smiling and y head still a little buzzed from the alcohol, but not excessively so. I could still think straight, walk as intact as ever, and speak and see clearly._

_I remember seeing a lone figure on my doorstoop. Tall and lean as he elegantly stood against the wall. I wasn't alarmed - I knew who it was. _

_When he noticed me approaching, he straightened once more. "Spock, I hope you weren't waiting here long," I said, hoping I didn't smell like a bar. _

"_Nyota," he looked me over discreetly, and I blushed at my state of dress - the red dress still hugged my figure, I was still in Gaila's satan high heels. "I wasn't here long at all," he finished. He held something in his hands, a small, white box. "My roommate decided to take me out," I explained. He did not demand an explanation, but I didn't want him thinking I was on a date. He nodded.  "You turned twenty-one this morning," he stated, "And on earth it is customary to give gifts on such occasions."_

That was the night it all started.

I pulled it out of the box, fingering it gently, and ran to the door. I couldn't be late.

Once I exited my quarters and turned the corner, I saw Chekov before the turbolift. "Pavel, hold it for me!" I called, running down the hall to catch up, "Thanks."

"Yer velcome," he told me with a kind smile, allowing me to enter first. We stood in the turbolift as it moved up the floors.

"I feel like I am betraying the Commander. Ve all vanted to zave you. Iz that normal?" the boy asked me, turning his head to me.  "Yeah. It is," I told him, my eyes on the door, my fingers holding onto the stone.

- -

When I hear her voice I look up. She enters the room seconds later, her hair bouncing around her shoulders as she speaks with Chekov. She seemed to be comforting him about something, but I did not listen in as I longed to do. She looked up at me and our eyes connected, making my heart dully ache. Her almond shaped eyes searched mine as she sat down in her seat. Nyota quickly looks away when the Chief started speaking. I observed her for a second longer than necessary - if there were such a thing as perfection, she would be it.

I watched as the witnesses to my supposed crime stood up. First it was Pavel Chekov, his eyes shifting uncomfortably. He looked at me apologetically before he started his account of when I decided to save the crew - starting with the hours I sat silently in my chair, telling the three judges of when we discovered the signal given off by Uhura's earpiece, and other moments he was present for. Sulu and Scotty then did the same. Nyota was last.

My eyes shifted back to her as she moved to pull out the tiny silver earpiece from her pocket. As she did so, her necklace swung free, the one I had given her over a year ago. I remembered the night I gave it to her - I stood outside her door for hours, still only starting to understand why I felt such a need to. The stone was like no other kind on Earth, but if it was to be compared, it would be similar to a mix between goldstone and red jasper. It had come from the large piece of O'turan still in my possession.

"How do you plead, Mr. Spock?"  Her eyes looked up at me, the depth behind them threatening to drown me.

"Guilty," I said, my eyes unable to leave hers.

"We will reconvene tomorrow, 10:00 hours."

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**R&R**

**Next chapter may be lemony, not sure yet... Still afraid to, to be honest.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, all.**

**I wanted to clarify what their shared "look" meant to me in the previous chapter because I was asked about it. **

**I don't think Nyota ever didn't want to bond with Spock - she just didn't want to be some human experiment. To me, she is now realizing how little time they have left together, depending on his punishment. She fears he may be put on shore leave or something like that because he went against a direct order and does not regret it.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I long to steal Spock and tie him up in my basement, I do not own him, or any of the other characters from Star Trek. I do own, however, planet Niburan and all of its inhabitants and O'turan.**

**Also - I'm thinking about lengthening Uhura's memory into a oneshot. Shall I have your opinion? Yay or nay? **

**R&R **

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Only I could hear her smooth voice, speaking in hushed whispers to the unconscious Captain through the wall to my right. I walked down the corridor, my footsteps echoing on the white floor tiles. The trial had been long, longer than I had anticipated and, although I denied my emotions, they still coursed through me - like the green blood pooling through my veins. I was restless, troubled, and I could do nothing about it.

I turned the corner into the medical bay. The cots were still filled with some crew members who were beamed up from Niburan. Nurses tended to them, monitoring their vitals with professionalism and care. I could feel my heart accelerate by my hip as I entered the private room holding the Captain, like the steady tapping of my mother's fingers on the windowsill whenever she was feeling anxious.

I stood in the door way as if I was waiting for her to grant me access, watching her whisper to the Captain. I thought of pointing out that it is illogical to speak to someone who is in a coma, but decided against it, opting with an observation.

"Your affection for Jim Kirk has grown," I remarked, quelling the heat that threatened to climb up my neck.

"Not affection, Spock, friendship," she corrected me, to my unexpected relief, "And it is perfectly logical to be speaking to someone in a coma. It was once proven that patients can respond to sounds when unconscious."

"I have read about it. But his coma is medically induced, and therefore he is not meant to wake up until we allow it," I pointed out, not overly surprised that she had correctly guessed what I was thinking.

"I know. But talking to him makes me feel better. Maybe because he isn't the best listener when he's awake," she said with a small laugh, releasing his hand from her grasp.

I walked into the room to stand on the opposite side of his cot. She didn't look up at me, although I faced her and was obviously receptive to the conversation.

"What do you speak to him about?"

"Anything. I told him about the trial. And how pigheaded he was to pick a fight with his captors and get himself tortured in the first place," she said with a small smile.

I watched her stand, her movements careful and slow, not to make a noise, even if he couldn't be woken up anyway.

"It would be beneficial for us to speak, Nyota," I told her thoughtfully.

"About what?" She asked me almost defensively, passing the Captain's bed.

I didn't respond and we exited the sickbay. She finally turned on her heel to face me.

"What do you want, Spock?"

The action was familiar - she faltered, obviously noticing the similarity, as well. I was determined not to have this conversation end the same way.

"You said you never regretted our relationship," she pointed out before I could start, "Do you now?"

"I do not," I said. The response was completely honest.

"Neither do I." She looked at me, the emotion in her eyes unreadable.

"Then, if I may inquire, why are we on unpleasant terms?" I asked her, my voice lowering automatically.

Nyota's eyes averted to look at the floor. I waited patiently, my hands held behind my back in a professional manner in case a stray cadet walked by during his dinner break.

"I don't want to be an experiment," she told me, her voice low as mine was.

Her eyes turned up to hold mine, and I found my breath was stuck in my chest for approximately a second.

"As a child, my father told me he married my mother because it was logical," I started, not breaking her gaze, "After she died, he told me it was because he loved her. I find nothing about love to be logical - it is impulsive, confusing - "

I stopped myself when her eyes drifted away once more - disappointment and sadness on her face. I didn't dare touch her intimately in such a public place, but my hand shot forward to touch her arm, drawing her attention back to me before I continued.

"But that did not stop my father, nor I, from falling into its entrapment. I did not enter a relationship with you because I thought of it as an experiment, even if you would have been a likely candidate if that were so. I will not bond with you for the sake of science."

She opened her mouth to speak, but another voice intercepted.

"Damn it, Spock, either you're in or you're out, don't block the entrance of the medical bay!" I heard behind my back.

Uhura jumped when the Doctor's gruff voice called out to us. He didn't see her and went to assist another patient as we walked out into the hall.

There was a small smile on her face as we walked to the turbolift.

I thanked her capacity to forgive.

- - -

We never made it to dinner, as we were planning.

We were on each other before the door closed. It was hard to say who was on who - we were both controlled by the same force. I felt my back get pressed up against the wall as we explored each others mouths once more, re-familiarizing ourselves with what we had lost.

'_Whoa. Horny vulcan.'_

I reached my hand up to one of his perfectly pointed ears, my thumb flicking over the peaked bit of skin. I could hear his breath catch and, the next thing I knew, I was over him, my hair surrounding us like a tent. My hands traced down his chest that heaved with every breath he took. I could have spent hours kissing him, paying tribute to his mouth, but there wasn't time. We only had one night until his faith as sealed. And maybe there was nothing to worry about.

But maybe there was.

I was already pushing the sleeves off of his arms, my hands having unzipped his dress jacket of their on volition. He took my hands, effectively stopping them from their determined path. I looked up at him, my eyes questioning.

He effortlessly picked me up with him, dropping me unceremoniously on his bed before pulling his tight, black undershirt over his head and following me down.

I thought of what he had said early as my mouth licked and nipped at his chest and abdomen. He had "_fallen into love's entrapment"_. It was very poetic, and as close as he would come to muttering the three words to me.

The memory spurred me on. I slipped my uniform over my head and reached for his belt.

All of the worries and problems would be back tomorrow - but tonight we didn't have to think of them.

- - -

I felt his fingers tenderly caress my cheek before latching the place customary for a mind meld. He took my hand with his other one, moving to place it on his face, as well.

"Place your other hand on my heart, Nyota," he said, his voice deep and husky. I whined for him, the familiar warm sensation threatening to burn my stomach. I did what he told me, however, and he put his free hand over my breast.

We moved, albeit awkwardly with our arms in the way, as he opened my mind to him. I leaned closer to his face, close enough to smell his sweet breath as it hit my feverish skin, and I stole another fiery kiss, not relinquishing my hold on him as I followed his every action.

"I want you to tell me something," I said between gasps. He looked up at me questioningly, his mouth partly opened in silent acknowledgement.

"Do you love me?" I asked him, the bed moving beneath us.

"I do."

"Say it," I whispered to him breathlessly, more of a plea than an order. _I needed to know._

"_I love you."_

My mind was torn in half the exact moment ecstasy struck my core. For a moment I could see how I looked from his eyes, feel what he felt. I must have forgotten to breathe, because the next thing I knew he was whispering my name in a panic.

"I'm sorry, it's just..."

He had told me before that Vulcans felt stronger than humans did, but I never really comprehended it until now.

He smiled.

'_It also touched me that you can feel the same, breathless ardor that I can,'_ his voice echoed in my mind. I smiled back at him, allowing naked body to slip off of him.

I thought of what I had felt these past two nights, having to spend them alone in an empty bed. They must have been so much worse for him.

As if to respond to this train of thought, I felt him across the bond remember the turmoil. It was so... Dark... I almost felt myself slipping into it before his words interrupted my thoughts.

"Sometimes when you suppress your emotions for so long, it is bewildering to realize they are still there," he told me softly, reaching to sweep the hair out of my face.

I dropped my face to his chest, my lips tracing the faint outline of his abdomen before resting my chin down to face him, allowing his deep breaths to bob my head up and down.

"Now we'll never have to leave each other," I whispered brokenly. His hands traced my bare back, trying to make me feel better. He knew that I liked it when he did that.

His eyes, and mind, reflected my own.

_I need you._

I thought of the alternative if he was docked from the ship - I could teach. I passed with flying colors...

"No," he told me softly, _'You have desired to serve about the Enterprise ever since you heard of its development. I refuse to take that from you.'_

I thought of the ensuing trial tomorrow, but tried to shake it from my thoughts - my emotions didn't only depress me, now. To distract myself, I thought of how I wanted to jump Spock the moment I saw him in his dress uniform that morning. I chuckled softly, causing his lips to turn up. He reciprocated by thinking of when I walked in the room, the way my dress uniform hugged my curves shamelessly, and the joy he felt when my necklace swung into view. It looked like a tiny Vulcan, he had realized, and I smiled.

"You're right, a tiny Vulcan," I said, holding the jewel before my eyes to scrutinize. His hand covered mine, wrapping it around the pendant with tenderness.

'_Sleep,' _his mind told me, his thoughts drifting to the vision of me sleeping in his arms. The fondness in that one image touched me more than I could say, and I obediently rested my head on his shoulder.

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**That chapter was super hard for me because I'm such a freaking virgin, so I understand if it wasn't satisfactory to some. **

**R&R, lovelies!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, cutiepies!**

**On vacation in Martha's Vineyard with the family, so the chapters will come a little slowly...**

**Disclaimer: I want it, really badly... But I do not own Star Trek or its characters. I only own Niburan, its inhabitants, its language, its plantlife, and other random crap I've mentioned in the past chapters. Oh, and my version of how they bond, but you can use that if you want, I don't care. It's open to interpretation. :)**

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It was nice to shower in my own quarters again.

The Enterprise may have been a new ship, endowed with the latest technology, but I was grateful that whoever assigned quarters considered personal preference. Sonic showers were fast, but traditional showers were long and pleasant. I have always loved the feeling of hot water dripping down my back as I leaned against the cool tile of the wall, my eyes closed. I did the same now, my body finally relaxed. If I was to meet Spock at breakfast I had to be faster than normal, so after a few minutes of happiness I finished washing and stepped out of the shower to get dressed.

"Bridge to Lieutenant Uhura."

I walked over to the communicator, making sure my towel was wrapped firmly around me before responding.

"This is Lieutenant Uhura."

If the woman was surprised by my state of dress, she didn't show it. "Please report to the bridge as soon as possible. Bridge out," was all she said before the screen went black.

"Uhura out," I muttered, "Computer, what time is it?"

I allowed the towel to pool at my feet as I reached for my uniform, slipping it over my head.

"Zero, eight-hundred hours and thirty-two minutes," the computer responded as I pulled my hair up neatly, the action familiar so it was relatively easy. I didn't bother taking off the necklace and threw on some fast makeup before leaving the room. I didn't know why the bridge would need me, but I supposed I was about to find out.

I turned the corner to see Spock standing before the turbolift, as if waiting. His body was stiff and his ears a little green, but beside that he looked just as he did earlier this morning. I almost asked him if he was feeling ill, but decided against it.

"Waiting for me?" I asked him, reaching around him to press the button to the lift.

"Yes. I felt you coming," he told me softly and we both stepped through the opening doors.

"I didn't know you could do that," I remarked, watching his fingers press the buttons to the bridge, "You were paged, too?"

"Yes, to my immediate surprise," he responded as the doors before us opened, the blood that pooled in his ears already having circulated to the rest of his body so he looked less flustered.

'_We can later explore our full capabilities together,' _he thought to me in response to my earlier comment, and that made me smile.

We were met by the chief who was obviously frustrated. He was pacing before he realized we had arrived, his hands held tightly behind his back and his square jaw set.

"Lieutenant Uhura, Commander Spock," he acknowledged, turning to us after a moment. His gray eyes were hard as they looked over us, "You must retrieve whatever you may need to beam down with you to Abrigon and report to the transporter room in fifteen minutes."

"Sir, I thought you said we were docked for the time being?" I asked him. It was a mistake - his eyes turned to me critically, but didn't lash out like I thought he would.

"The Joremur asked for you two. It would have been unwise to refuse - he wanted to personally apologize for what had happened."

I felt doubt in Spock's mind and a small grain of anger. It made me wonder what the Joremur might have done to him to elicit this response.

"Beaming down with you will be Lieutenant Wilkins, Communications Officer of the USS Shenandoah, and two guards disguised as ensigns," he told us before turning back to the main screen in dismissal.

I couldn't help but think he was a little_ cranky._

- - -

I walked into the Transporter Room with my replaced phaser, communicator, and PADD. Spock and the three others in our beaming party were already there. I smiled when I saw Scotty behind the control panel.

"I say when this is all over we all break into my whiskey reserve and toast our departure of this miserable planet," he said to me incredulously, setting the location of where we were to beam down, "Of course, you are invited too, Commander."

I had the vague impression he was peeing on his territory by the look he gave the others, as if to say 'Sorry, Enterprise personnel only!' like a child. I wondered what I missed.

"Thank you for the offer, but Vulcans do not drink."

"Oh, really? I thought you all fermented wines. Vulcan Port?"

"Vulcan Port is meant to be strictly for cultural use, although - "

The petite blond woman I recognized from when they originally beamed down interrupted them. "We are to be on a _mission_. Now if you will stop, we should be preparing ourselves for what we will find down there!" she snapped at us. She must have been Lieutenant Wilkins, the communications officer from the USS Shenandoah.

I raised my eyebrow, remembering the tranquil setting when we first beamed down. True, we were abducted, but I doubted they would do so the exact time we were to meet with the Joremur - we were being too closely watched.

"That wee woman's a right nippy sweetie," he muttered as he finished setting the coordinates. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Alright, on the transporter," he said and we all piled on, stepping on each separate orb before, "Good luck."

- - -

We were beamed down to the same spot as before. The government building rose up before us, its white, stone structure cold and muted at this hour of the day.

"You are from the Federation ship Enterprise?" a man asked, standing beside a black hovercar.

"Who wants to know?" Lieutenant Wilkins asked brazenly in his native language and I came close to smacking her. A human picking a fight with a Niburan would not end well.

"The Joremur would prefer to meet you at his private residence," he explained to us, his face hard. I stepped toward the hovercar.

In my mind I was met with the image of the guard who kidnapped me. Spock agreed with the Lieutenant. I froze, watching as he pulled out his communicator.

"Your crew is no longer working on the bridge, it is my duty to confirm such things," she snapped.

He silently placed his communicator back in his pocket, and obviously couldn't care less who made the call. When the woman was satisfied she nodded in the direction of the hovercar, snapping her communicator shut.

It was small and a little outdated, but we all fit in just fine. One of the "Ensigns" held the door open for us. He was orion, which caused me a small pang of sadness in remembrance of Gaila. He slid in after me and we were on our way toward the Joremur's home. I watched in fascination as we drove into the city - I had studied the culture as a student, but was now experiencing it for the first time. I watched as we passed by the round stone houses - the heat wouldn't allow any other building material. I felt Spock's knee touch mine and I smiled.

'_I did not know you enjoyed traditional showers so much,' _he thought to me, causing a small blush to come to my cheeks, _'I found myself quite... Discomposed upon feeling your delectation.'_

I remembered how the blood rushed to his ears when he saw me at the turbolift and my blush deepened a little to his quiet amusement.

"Are you feeling carsick, Lieutenant?" One of the Ensigns asked me and I shook my head.

"I'm fine, thanks."

It was then, when I looked back out the window, that I first noticed the strange houses. The were brick and stone, like the others, but they weren't distinctly Niburan as they should have been. The architecture was not of the norm.

The hovercar finally pulled up to the Joremur's home and, for a moment, I couldn't believe it even belonged to a Niburan. The Ensign held the door open for us again and I stepped out.

The house was completely symmetrical and made of brick, with large, modern windows and a tiny door smack dab in the middle. Upon closer inspection I realized it was shaped as an octagon. The home had a numerous amount of gardens with only two plants - a strange looking pink bush and a cactus that reminded me of prickly pears, much like the ones I had seen when I visited Arizona as a teenager.

"So I see you have noticed the future of Niburan," the Joremur said by way of greeting, exiting the bizarre house.

I took a double-take. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, something that severely went against Niburan's belief of modesty. I was both befuddled and a little angry at the man's blatant disregard for his home planet. I felt Spock's mind brush against mine, as if he had laid his hand at the small of my back in an attempt to help cool me down.

"The future of Niburan?" I asked him.

"We have been busy updating and building homes. This is our Earth-based one. All of the new homes are based on Federation planets," he explained with wide smile, showing us his bright teeth as he opened the very oddly placed white picket fence for us.

I had never seen a house like this on planet earth.

He invited us inside the house, which was even more bizarre than the outside. The rooms reminded me of a television set - only three walls to each one, opening up to the vast hallway that actually had more gardens. There kitchen seemed very fast-food American, their living room Moroccan, and their dining room African. I recognized the rugs and the wood used to make the table. All of the rooms, however, were bizarre - as if one of these countries came in and threw up all over the walls, making it look like it did.

"We have yet to discover a way to put up wallpaper, so the walls lack color," he told us, sitting us down at the long table in his dining room. My fingers traced the knots in the table.

I looked up at the wall - it may have lacked color, but I recognized the masks that adorned it. The Joremur followed my gaze.

"I see you are fascinated by my masks. I have imported them from Kenya."

"Sir, I feel I must tell you that only two of them are Kenyan," I said, eyeing the one all the way to the right. I pointed to it. "That one is from Cameroon. It is a Tribal Ram Mask, most likely made by someone from the tribe Bamileke."

"Interesting," he said, standing up to scrutinize them. To me the difference was obvious, but to him it may have not been. "How do you know this, if I may ask?"

"My grandfather was a very gifted mask maker. I am indigenous to Kenya," I told the Joremur when I felt no warning from Spock.

He sat back down. "Thank you, I will consult the man who I had bought it through," he told me, and I hoped I had not just put a man's job on the line.

The conversation turned from there to the kidnapping, which I learned was the main reason for our visit. The chief wished to interrogate the Joremur in a respectable way. Lieutenant Wilkins asked the questions, and I just observed the scene before me. As I watched, I couldn't help but think of the holonovel my mother had given me as a child... 'Fish are friends, not food.'

And he was the shark.

I heard the soft purr of a hovercar arrive and turned my head as the true Zesthu walked in. She was neither ugly nor beautiful, but she walked with a regality only impaired by what she was wearing. It was not as revealing as her husbands shorts, but it was tight to the body - a definite no-no on Niburan. She was even wearing a denim jacket. I felt ten degrees hotter just looking at her. She looked out-of-place by not wearing her traditional robes.

"Brusmu," she said in greeting with a polite smile.

"This is my wife," he told us without looking at her. I remembered reading about the ways women were treated on Niburan and tried not to frown in disgust.

I felt Spock start to calm me, but I wasn't sure why. As if he was preparing me for something I was about to see. I didn't get the chance to ask him what was the matter. Because she entered the room just as I turned around.

"And this is my daughter, Abria."

She was beautiful, but she was...

_White._

I looked at the scar on my arm, and then back to the child. It was the same milky blue-whiteness that was forever burned my skin.

I felt Spock still sending calming waves in my direction, and I realized how mad I was. My face was hot with my anger. I blocked the emotion.

_They bleached a child! _Not only did they bleach her eyes, but her body. I thought of all the possible scenarios - a bath, a sponge, _a freaking paintbrush_.

I heard the girl clear her throat and say something. I realized everyone was looking at me.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked in Niburan, my mind a little frazzled.

She shook her head, a charming smile on her face. "Oh, I just said 'Hello'."

The Joremur turned to me, his bullshit smile still on his face. "Abria has just been dying to practice her English with someone. She was so excited when she heard people from the Enterprise were beaming back down!"

I looked at her again, trying to screw my face back into a smile. It came out distorted, I knew.

Her features were obviously Niburan - a flat, petite nose, bow lips... But she was white.

"Hello, Abria. You have a beautiful name," I said to her.

"I thought girls didn't go to school here," I remarked to the Joremur, my eyes never leaving Abria. I noticed the uniform skirt she wore.

"Your women are educated. Times are changing."

I couldn't help but think something good had come out of their copy-cat actions.

"May I see you?" she asked me, holding up her hands before my face.

I tilted my head in confusion before comprehending. "Of course," I told her, "If it is acceptable to your parents."

"Not at all," the Joremur said and I bent before the girl, guiding her hands to my cheeks. I looked into her eyes and I finally understood.

Her eyes were not the same milky blue-white as her parent's eyes, or the same as the white that burned her skin. It was white like milk, like marble.

She was truly blind.

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**R&R and if you have any ideas I am always openminded and accepting, and very appreciative.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys!**

**I hope your summer is going well! Here is another chapter that I hope you will enjoy. As I said before, you can expect another multichapter almost immediately after this one ends and, of course, I am pretty good at posting oneshots, which I know I have a couple more of.**

**Disclaimer: As I have told you repeatedly, I do not own Start Trek. Unfortunately, Santa refused to give it to me for Christmas. Arggh! However, I do own the story and the before mentioned things, such as Niburan, it's inhabitants and language, and some other miscellaneous things.**

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I furiously changed out of the uniform I had worn on the planet surface, pulling out my dress uniform for the trial that will soon continue. "There is nothing we can do?" I asked, not looking at the Vulcan man sitting on the bed behind me.

I could so clearly remember how painful it was when I was burned by the wax, and could not imagine the immense pain the child must have gone through. Not to mention the heightened sensitivity of the white skin that both myself and Abria shared. Whenever I brushed my clothes against it in an odd way I cringed.

I remembered the night Spock and I had bonded. How he would stroke burn on my stomach, causing shivers to go up my spine; when he ran his tongue from my navel to the oddly shaped burn on my abdomen, causing me to tremor uncontrollably before nearly bringing me to a sweet release... How painful would, say, a mosquito bite be to Abria? Or scraping her knees, as children were apt to do?

"The child is theirs. We have no say in the matter. It does not jeopardize the Federation or any of its ships as the kidnapping did," he told me, resting his palms gently on my bare shoulders. It heightened our mental connection even more, allowing our thoughts and emotions to flow effortlessly into each other, as if a dam had been broken. He had seen our memory as clearly as I had, and I couldn't help but smile at my effect on him. I looked up at the mirror in front of me, looking into his eyes over my head. "Although unorthodox and seemingly cruel, it does not prove he is responsible for the kidnapping - the chemical used on both you and the child is well known and has been used for centuries by monarchs to make themselves seem fit for their rule," he continued. I sighed, pulling my dress uniform on over my head and watched as his hands ran along some of my belongings, as if committing the feel of them to memory. "And whilst it seems immoral to some," he pointed out, "The Joremur could argue that he did it for his daughter out of love, to ensure she would have a good life in the future as Zesthu. Times are changing, and the Joremur is obviously not popular amongst his people because of his choice to join the Federation of Planets. Tradition is starting to be discarded in favor of new ways - Abria is now not only white-eyed, but white skinned as well - she will be looked upon as a miracle now on planet Niburan. It is fascinating."

I effortlessly pulled my hair up into a ponytail, being careful not to catch the necklace I have yet to take off. "But she was already a miracle, Spock - she was truly blind. Her eyes were silver, they were white."

"The new generation is growing away from traditional beliefs. Because of the child, they are brought back. It is cruel, but logical."

I didn't respond to that comment, not wanting to argue again with him. Partially because I knew he was right.

"And there's nothing we can do?" I asked him, moving to sit next to him on the edge of my bed.

"It is unlikely, unless we can find reason to question the girl. If the questioning reveals anything of interest, we may be able to intervene. If not, she would be returned to her parents."

I nodded, taking this into consideration as I gently stroked my fingers along his hand. He captured them in his, as he often did once I initiated the action, and I tickled his palm. The connection was back full force, it hit me like a splash of water, but it was comfortable. I felt myself slipping into his mind with a sigh.

"Why don't we always feel like this?" I asked him softly, our thoughts seemingly one. I wasn't sure if my question was spoken or thought, it just... Flowed out of me.

"We will, eventually," he told me, his fingers gently squeezing each of mine in turn. I felt the pleasure of his attentions give us both a small jolt of sparking energy. "There is now much we can accomplish together. More than I previously thought possible."

He had slipped from English into his native tongue with ease, I wasn't sure if he even realized it. This made me smile, knowing he was now absolutely relaxed. I briefly wondered if this was how it felt when he was meditating.

_No. This is much, much more enjoyable._

"Computer, what time is it?" I asked, knowing that the trial will soon reconvene.

Both the automated voice and the voice of the man beside her replied, "Twelve-hundred hours and eight minutes."

I raised my eyebrow, an action I have picked up from him over the time we've spent together and he came close to shrugging. I felt our minds return to their previous state and I sighed yet again, bringing my head to rest on his shoulder. He wasn't the only one who was relaxed.

"We should nourish ourselves in the Officer's Mess, seeing as we did not have dinner last night and have approximately fifty-two minutes to spare, not including travel time."

I stood up after him, watching the automated doors open before us. "I don't know about you, but I was quite satiated by the time we fell asleep," I remarked casually, my words still Vulcan, as if trying to keep the connection between us alive. His ears blushed green and he flashed me his own version of a smile.

_Our connection to each other will never die_, I heard his voice in my mind and I smiled.

- - -

We walked into the conference room, our shoulders almost touching. I could feel the heat radiating off of his body and briefly wondered if he was nervous, although I doubted it. We were usually so subtle in public - our words always strictly professional, saving them until they absolutely needed to be spoken, only touching when we handed each other supplies or whenever one of us left the bridge. Of course I would sometimes tease him, as I used to back at the academy. In the midst of a boring day I might stretch or very, very sneakily stroke my earpiece as I would some others things... and not for the benefit of the Captain. Spock left me to sit in his assigned seat and I left to mine. Our eyes connected from across the room and our minds met for the briefest moment - a caress of support.

The trial started much the way it did the day prior. The information was reviewed, as were the accounts, before Spock was called upon to answer questions.

One of them being _"Why?"_. Why had he decided to save us in the first place, why did he risk his job.

I felt a surge through our bond. A memory. It was Spock's.

_He sat in the captain's chair, a calm facade on his face, but fingers clenched around the armrest. He thought of abandoning his idea of a rescue and following orders, but the face of a human woman came to his mind - his mother's. _

'_I already lost_ her.

_Could I lose Nyota, too?'_

I took a deep breath, tears appearing in my eyes. That was the moment he truly decided he was going to follow through with his idea. My fingers gripped at the table, my breath knocked out of me for a moment - a reaction to the chaotic emotions in that memory. Chekov looked down at my hands and back at my face in concern.

"Are you alright, Nyota?" he whispered and I nodded, a fake smile plastered on my face.

"Sir," he started, but was interrupted by yelling outside of the room, as well as footsteps - obviously running.

The doors opened and in calmly strode Captain James T. Kirk. I noted the scratch above his eye and the cast around his wrist, ironically in a bright pink. I didn't dwell on that, my mind occupied by the thought that his ribs were broken and he could hurt himself.

"Dammit, Jim, get your ass back here _now_!" We heard from the hall, and in came Doctor McCoy, running in with a wheelchair in front of him. He froze, slowly approaching the Captain.

"Why wasn't I told of Mr. Spock's trial?" he demanded. I was struck by his authority, the way he was seemingly able to hold the gaze of everyone in the room. I was unsure who his question was directed at, but it was the Chief who answered.  "We thought it better you healed."

"Mr Spock is my first officer, and his actions are my responsibility. I have a right to be here."

"You were abducted, and therefore had no control over your first officer," said the red-headed first officer to the right of the Chief.

I watched him fall backward and, perfectly timed, the Doctor caught him in the wheel chair.

"Well, the duty of the first officer is to take over the ship and act as the captain would, correct?" he asked, and I saw the woman nod, "So, in that case, Mr. Spock did nothing wrong. He did exactly what I would have done, or what I would have commanded him to do. He's totally innocent."

"It isn't that easy, Jim," Leonard told him as the court watched. My hands didn't loosen on the edge of the table.

"Yeah it is, Bones. Spock didn't do anything wrong. I wouldn't have even called the Fed. Plus, if he waited for you guys to show up, I'd have been dead by then."

The chief looked up at the doctor for confirmation, and he nodded. I stood.

"Sir, I second that statement. Right before I was taken out of my cell to be blinded, he told me that he didn't have much longer," I said.

The chief fell silent.

"Shouldn't you return to the Medical bay?" the first officer asked.

"I'm a big boy, thanks."

The chief visibly sighed, and our attention was returned to him. "Mr Spock, your record is clean of any blemishes - you have never disobeyed an order before, and every choice you make is for the best of Star Fleet - "

"Chief - "

"James Kirk, interrupt me again, and I will have the Doctor wheel you back to Medical Bay where you're supposed to be." Jim fell silent and the chief continued, turning back to the Vulcan whose eyes were currently on his Captain, "I will be expecting a lengthy report of this mission, covering every detail of every decision you made. Other than that, I exonerate you of all accusations. That will be your charge. Court dismissed."

I felt surprise hit me, from both my mind and his. I looked over at Spock and he came very close to smiling at me. I stood up, walking to where Jim sat.

"Hey there, pretty lady," Leonard said and I laughed, turning to the Captain.

"Really, Jim, shouldn't you get back to bed?" I asked, approaching them.

"Only if you come with me, Uhura," he said with a smirk, confirming that he was back to his old self. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, feeling Spock's presence at my back.

"I am grateful for your blatant disregard to your Doctor's orders, Captain," he said.

"Don't egg him on," Leonard said, turning around the wheel chair.

"Any time, Commander," Jim said with a small, genuine smile.

"Alright, Bones, next stop Medical Bay."

"I'm a doctor, not a damn taxi driver!" he grumbled.

"Oh, be nice, I'm scared of Doctors."

"I'll give you a reason to be..." Their voices drifted away as they exited the room, and I felt a familiar hand at the small of my back, causing my head to swim.

"Congratulations, Commander," I told him formally, turning to face him.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he told me, his eyes smoldering in a way that made my stomach flip happily, "I suppose I have a five year mission to look forward to."

"Yes, I suppose you do. I guess in that time you'll grow tired of everyone and disobey again just to be reassigned, though," I teased as we walked out of the room.

_Never._

_

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	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, all! Here's another chappy. :)**

**Same usual disclaimer.**

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"Read me a story and maybe I will," he said with a wink and I rolled my eyes.

"Damn it, Jim. I'm your doctor, not your father. When I tell you to sleep you sleep!" I grumbled, picking up the sedative to inject into his IV. He just laughed.

The bruises on his face were healing well, only leaving a scratch or two and a battered cheek, although I didn't dare look under the blanket that covered his bare chest again. We finally managed to get his ribs bandaged up, though.

"Sit with me for a sec, Bones," he requested as I shot the sedative into his system.

"I do have other patients to attend to," I pointed out, but sat down anyway.

"Sorry, Doc," he said goodheartedly and I tried not to smile.

His fingers traced the hot pink cast on his arm with a small smile. The drugs would be kicking in soon.

"I think I made her happy today," he muttered to me softly. I glanced up at the entrance to the room and saw no one there to over hear us.

"Well, she loves that damn elf, so I see why," I grumbled in return, not bothering to mention they were probably procreating like bunnies as we spoke. I tried not to cringe at the visual in my mind.

"You think so?"

His blue eyes looked up at mine, holding my gaze sleepily. I nodded.

"I do, Jim," I told him, my mouth curving up into a sympathetic smile, "Be grateful for her friendship, because it's all she can give. But look at this beauty, Jim - the _Enterprise_, the most sought-after lady in Star Fleet, and she's all yours."

He chuckled sleepily. "Yeah, I guess so - just don't call her Mrs Kirk, I don't think she likes that," he said, starting to drift off. I laughed with him.

"Count backward from ten for me, Jim."

He barely made it to seven.

- - -

I would have usually been meditating by now, but this particularly evening I chose instead to enjoy the feeling of Nyota's warm body pressing against mine. It was not late, but the backup star ships would be continuing control of the bridge until the next morning and then quite possibly helping us complete this particular mission, seeing as most of our crew was incapacitated.

My hand explored the dark hair that spilled from her head onto the pillow beneath our heads and onto our shoulders. I ceased my ministrations for a moment to focus on the colorful images of her mind - her dreams. They were colorful, I noted, and bright. I found the sensation enjoyable, seeing as I never dreamed.

I watched every breath enter her body, watched how her diaphragm moved with the habitual act. One of Nyota's brown, toned arms was still wrapped around my bare waist and the other clung to my chest, the contact enough to keep our minds open to each other even as she slept. As I enjoyed the flowing images behind her eyelids, currently of a place that was most likely her home, something concerned me. I could feel in her a dark grain of worry that seemed to be starting in the core of her body. I longed to listen, to learn and comfort her accordingly, but the visual communicator on my wall was being paged.

"Transporter room to Commander Spock." The words were quiet, seeing as my hearing was sensitive enough not to require it above a level three. They caused Nyota to stir slightly.

I carefully stood up, making sure my bonded was comfortable before walking to the communicator. I felt the corners of my lips curl upward when I thought the word.

"This is Spock," I said, keeping my voice low.

"Crewmembers from the USS Republic have beamed up with the child," Mr Scott reported, his face appearing on the console.

"Affirmative."

"Sir, we meant to move her into a spare room before she was interrogated in the morning, but she is afraid. She specifically requested Lieutenant Uhura as her guardian while on this vessel."

"I have no objections," I told him, picking up my shirt from where it was neatly folded, "I will be in the transporter room in approximately four minutes. Spock out."

- - -

I tried to hold onto sleep for longer, but I felt it slipping from me as sand would through my fingers. I mumbled something.

"I think she is wake," a small voice said, like bells.

"Awake," I corrected sleepily, still not opening my eyes. I groaned softly.

"She sounds like my _Diarsi_ when she wakes up."

I recognized the language, and it all slowly came back to me. "Abria?" I asked, reaching up to rub my eyes and sat up. Her pretty, white countenance came into my vision, along with the rest of my quarters.

_My quarters?_

I looked down at myself, seeing my usual pajamas and shook my head, a small smile on my face.

"I apologize, _K'diwa_, for interrupting your sleep, but the child insisted upon having you as her guardian," I heard Spock say to me in Vulcan, but in my sleepy state I couldn't tell if it was thought or said.

"Gud Morning!" the child said brightly from where she stared vacantly at my general direction. I smiled at the adorable accent on the child.

"Good morning, Abria," I said, stretching my arms into the air above my head with a yawn. She looked puzzled upon hearing this.

"What was that noise?" she asked me softly, her head tilted to the side.

"It's called a yawn. Humans make that noise when they are not getting enough oxygen, usually because they are tired or waking up."

She smiled with her newfound understanding. "_Diso _said I can learn much when coming here!" she told me happily and I smiled at the endearing term for her father.

"Is that so?" I asked her, "What else did he say?"

"He said that I must behave ab... Admerra..."

"Admirably," Spock supported, causing me to look up at where he stood, watching the two of us converse with interest.

"He said that I must behave admirably, for I am representing my planet for the Federation of Planets," she said with a victorious grin.

"I am sure you will. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I have to talk with the Commander. We will return shortly," I told her, rolling out of bed rather gracelessly before gently touching her on the shoulder.

We walked out of the room. I looked both ways, making sure our conversation would not be overheard. I placed my hand on his warm hand, allowing our brains to mesh pleasantly.

"Thank you," I told him, allowing my gratitude to flow from my mind to his.

"Your idea may prove very beneficial to this mission," he said, but I could feel deep inside of him that he was happy to do this small thing for me, "Your assignment from now until the child is returned to her ship is to learn all you can."

"Yes, Sir," I said with a teasing smile.

He froze suddenly, pulling away from me toward the door.

"What's wrong?" I asked him as the automated doors opened, but I didn't need an answer because, on the floor, was Abria with tears streaming down her face.

I immediately dropped to the floor with her and pulled her into my arms. Her body radiated intense heat, just as my burn did. "What's happened, Abria?" I asked her, alarmed. She held out her hand to me for my scrutiny and I gasped, seeing the red lines. Spock knelt before her, taking her hand into his to study it.

"There was a loud nose like..." she started making this odd noise, and I listened in puzzlement.

"I belief she is referring to the air vent," Spock said softly, reaching to the bedside table beside us and pulling out the first-aid kit.

"I went to look, and hurt my hand."

Spock was gently wrapping her palm with gaze, gently rubbing it in a way that was unfamiliar to me.

"That helps," she spoke up after a moment, "My hands always hurt. Do yours?"

"Yes," Spock responded, "My species has very sensitive palms. I will lend you an ointment developed on my planet once the wound closes."

She nodded, and I watched in amazement. "May I see you?" she asked him after a moment. He looked at me for a translation and I smiled since I'm almost never needed as an intelligence bank. I motioned to my face and he nodded quizzically.

"I have no objections to your method of sight," he said. She cocked her head and I laughed.

"He means it's fine."

The young girl reached up to his face and traced her fingers along his face until he reached his ears.

"You are not human," she said matter-of-factly.

"I am Vulcan."

She nodded in understanding, retracting her hands from his face.

"I am hungry," she said and indignantly stood up, her tears dried and her injury forgotten.

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**R&R!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey, all!**

**Sos you knows, I already have my next multichapter fic planned out and it will mostlikely be posted immediately following the end of this one, which will probably be only a few chapters more. Thanks for the support, guys!!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Star Trek in my dreams. I do, however, own this story as well as all the other things above mentioned. :)**

**I REPLACED THE AUTHOR'S NOTE WITH CHAPTER 16!!! So you know... So go back and read the previous chapter first!**

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I entered my quarters, after making sure Abria was properly put to bed in the room next to mine, where Spock was waiting for me. His back was pressed against the headboard, his nose buried in his PADD. I smiled slightly, putting all worries aside so he wouldn't hear them - the worries of whether our choice was wise in bonding in the first place.

I would never want him to hear my doubts - I loved him, and I knew that - but what does it mean to be bonded, anyway? We will be together until death does us part, like marriage. But what will my death do to him? He will live for much longer than I will, surely. And even on top of that, what will I look like in fifty years compared to him? I didn't think I could deal with the self loathing I would feel if he was stuck with an old hag.

"I sense worry in you, K'diwa," he said, and I looked over to see his PADD put aside.

"I just feel for the girl," I told him with a well placed smile, climbing into bed with him. I wasn't sure if he believed me, but he didn't continue his questioning.

"It seems that she had brought out your maternal instincts," he remarked softly.

"Oh, well, I have a younger sister."

"Even so," he persisted and I smiled softly. "I find your behavior endearing," he admitted as I curled into his side, allowing my earlier thoughts to be pushed away.

"Computer, lights out," I said, feeling his arms wrap around me, surrounding me with warmth. For a supposedly emotionless Vulcan, he sure did like spooning.

I felt our minds merge and I sighed. It felt like returning home from a long voyage, or having a good mug of hot chocolate after a long day in the snow. I felt his amusement at my analogy and I smiled.

"Night, sweetheart," I muttered softly.

I felt his emotions rise for a split moment, touched by the affectionate term.

"Sleep well."

- - -

Her breathing slowed after approximately eight minutes, signaling to me that she had fallen asleep. Instead of getting out of bed right away, however, I held her to me for a few more minutes, my eyes closed as well.

_But I don't understand. I love him. I don't understand. Always?_

I opened my eyes, her stray thoughts worrying me more than I could say.

'_Nyota,' _I thought to her, trying to calm her odd dreams as I ran my fingers through her hair. Her fearful thoughts became once more the pleasant dreams that she usually fell to.

_I love him... What's wrong with me?_

I froze, listening for any more stray thoughts, but none came. I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before standing up to meditate, knowing that this particular evening my mind would be greatly distracted.

- - -

"Well, when I was a kid my favorite food was chicken fingers - you may enjoy that," I supplied with a smile, and I saw her face distort in disgust.

"Chickens have fingers on your planet?"

I laughed, getting her whatever food I thought she might enjoy. "No, of course not, silly. That's what the dish is called."

"Why?" she asked me as I led her to one of the lunch tables, her small hand at the crook of my elbow.

"I don't know, to be honest," I said, juggling the two trays with difficulty. Just as I was about to drop one, a pale hand shot out and caught it, carefully placing it on the table.

"Thank you, Commander," I said, smiling to the Vulcan that appeared at my side, placing the other tray down and helped the child to sit down.

He sat across from me and, once the child started eating, started speaking in Vulcan.

"We have made progress on the planet surface."

"In what way?" I asked, picking at my food.

"We have concluded that their leader is not at fault for the kidnapping. We suspect that it is the extremists," he said, careful not to use any words the child would recognize.

"My findings support that. Her father, according to her, seemed very anxious to join the Federation and expressed anger in their household about how the kidnapping would effect their chances of joining the Federation," I told him. My knee brushed against his as it usually did during a meal, causing the tips of his ears to flush slightly green.

I pulled away as if burnt. Worry and doubt was felt through the bond the second I touched him, causing my heart to spasm uncomfortably. I feigned a smile, picking up my uneaten food.

"You done, Abria?" I asked politely.

"Yes. I am not used to alien food, anyway."

I laughed again, finding it funny since I always thought of Niburans as aliens.

"Alright, then. Thank you for your company, Commander," I said, glancing back at him before heading toward the entrance of the Officer's Mess after ridding us of our food. His head was bent over his tray, his eyes closed in thought. He didn't respond.

"Would you like to meet our Captain?" I asked her, thinking that Jim would probably be bored out of his mind, anyway. She excitedly agreed and we walked toward the turbolift to take us to sickbay.

We were greeted by a calm Doctor McCoy, probably happy to have most of the crewmembers now out of the Medical Bay.

"Hey there, beauty queen," I was greeted and I smiled.

"Hello, Leonard. I see the sickbay has been mostly cleared out," I remarked.

"Yeah, to my benefit. Now I only have one pain-in-the-butt left, but I've grown used to him over the years. Now, who is this sugary sweetheart?" he asked, bowing down to be on level with the young girl.

She giggled happily, obviously entranced by the Doctor. "My name is Abria," she said, her high voice squeaking happily.

"She is a guest on the Enterprise, from planet Niburan. I may need you to examine her later, actually, but for now we're just visiting the Captain."

"Well, we're honored to have you. You know, I think I have a lollipop around here somewhere..." he trailed off, walking to one of the stations and pulling out a jar.

"I thought only pediatricians handed out lollipops?"

"Well, I have to keep Jim shut up some how while examining him," he said, pulling the wrapper off of a purple one. I laughed.

"What is a loll-ee-poop?" the young girl asked, causing the Doctor to smile.

"It's a kind of food. A candy, actually. You put the circle in your mouth and suck - don't chew and don't swallow the stick, though," he told her, placing it in her small hand, "There y'are, princess."

"There aren't any princesses on Niburan. I am an Isasia. But you can call me Abria," she said with a charming smile. He laughed.

"Well, in that case, you can call me Leonard."

"Thank you, Leo... Lennarr... Leono..."

"You'll get it eventually," he said with a smile and she grinned, obviously captivated by the doctor.

He stood up once more. "You said you were looking for Jim, right? I'll check if he's still loopy from the drugs," he said, disappearing behind the door that led to his room. After a few moments he opened the door for us.

"Jim, I'm so happy to see you're feeling better," I said genuinely, walking to where he lay.

"Uhura here came and visited you pretty often," McCoy said and I blushed.

"Oh, really? Gee, maybe you do like me, just a little." I laughed. "Don't count on it."

He smiled. "Now who is this?" he asked, referring to the little girl who still held my hand and sucked on the lollipop.

"This is Abria, the Joremur's daughter," I told him.

"Wow, Abria, you sure are the prettiest Niburan I ever met..."

"Jim!"

"What? I'm not gonna hit on some kid!"

The girl laughed happily, "It's nice to meet you, Captain Kirk."

He smiled again. "You know, I broke my wrist. You can sign my cast if you want," he offered to her, realizing that she was blind.

She frowned. "I don't know how," she told him.

"Bones, can you get me a pen?" he asked, sitting up with a short intake of breath.

"Careful, Jim," he said, "You may be healing quickly, but it is easy to hurt yourself again." He handed him the pen he asked for and I brought the girl forward.

"I have an idea, Abria - I'll show you how," he said, placing the pen in her hand, "Now, if you'll be careful, I can ask Uhura here to help you hop up here with me and you can sign my cast."

I looked up at him, my eyebrow raised. "Come on, don't be such a party pooper."

I rolled my eyes, but gently raised the girl, who started laughing with the motion, and set her on the bed beside the Captain. He clutched his fingers around hers and helped her write her name. "There we are," he said with a smile.

She felt the cast for a moment. "Does it hurt?" she asked him and he shook his head.

"Bones here is a great Doctor, so now it doesn't hurt at all," he said and she carefully hopped down.

"Actually, _Doctor_, perhaps I can schedule an appointment for my little charge?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah, sure. For tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Will I get another Loll-ee-pup, Lenno?" Abria asked us happily and we laughed.

"You betcha. We'll have lots of fun," he said, walking out the door with Abria's arm wrapped around his. And he didn't say a word about him being a doctor and not a babysitter. Maybe he liked the attention.

I turned back to where Jim was laying. "Feel better, Captain," I told him. There was a distant look in his blue eyes, only doubled by the bruises on his face.

"Thanks, Uhura. I'll see you soon," he said, giving me a small smile.

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**Aww, Abria has a little crush! Lol**

**R&R**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys!**

**Disclaimer: It totally sucks that I don't own Star Trek, but I don't. I only own Niburan, its inhabitants, its language, its plantlife, O'Turan, crewmembers from USS Republic and USS Shenandoah, and other random crap I've mentioned in the past chapters. My interpretation of how they bond is exactly that - my interpretation, so I cannot guarantee you it is right.**

**This will be the final chapter!! Thank you all so much for your support. The first chapter to my new multichaptered fic is already up - it is called Africa Calling. Also, if you are Heroes fans (Yay, Zachary...) I am starting up my Memories series again, so you can definitely check that out if you want, although I will probably be updating my Trek fics more often for now. **

**I may also consider writing a sequel to this or a oneshot, at least, of the trial. Tell me your thoughts. :)**

**Thank you all so much again, and be sure to check out my new fic!**

**

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**

I returned to my quarters from dropping of Abria at sickbay. She was so happy to see Leonard, I decided to let them be for the next hour. We would be beaming down to Niburan with the child soon, anyway, and I wanted to be sure she was checked out before she returned home.

The automated doors opened before me and I walked in, immediately walking to my dresser. I sighed, pulling my scrunchie out of my hair tiredly. A white hand on my shoulder caused me to jump.

"_Oh!_" I exclaimed, turning to him hastily. "_Geez_, you just scared the crap out of me," I said with a breathy laugh, sinking against my dresser with relief.

He was silent, and I reached up to rub the back of my fingers against his cheek. "What's wrong?" I asked him.

"I heard something unsettling when you were dreaming last night and the night prior."

I froze, my gaze dropping guiltily to the floor. "What did you hear?" I asked him softly.

He covered my hand with his and the memories came pouring into me. My breath staggered.

"I don't want you to take it the wrong way..."

"You are afraid."

"Yes," I told him, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Is this why I felt worry and doubt in you yesterday at lunch?"

He nodded and I bowed my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered, tears coming to my eyes. I didn't know how to start. "I - " I stuttered, sitting on the bed beside him. I sighed, placing my hand over his and allowing our foreheads to touch. All of the indecision, fear, and love I had been feeling the past two days were open to his observation and scrutiny.

He stood up suddenly, his shoulder jostling my head with the action.

"I must be excused," he told me point blank and I stood up after him.

"What, why?" I demanded, my throat starting to choke. I grabbed after him, my hand falling around his wrist. He turned back to me and his eyes were wet.

"I have become discomposed."

I didn't release him and he took a staggering breath.

"I have always been aware of the possibilities, Nyota, and wold not have bonded with you if the cons outweighed the pros," he told me, his fingers flexing, "I would much rather have you for only 80-odd years than for no time at all."

Once finished he closed his eyes, his fingers intertwining around mine once more.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, "I don't deserve you."

"I often find myself thinking the very same thing," he admitted to me softly and I pulled him into a tight embrace, my arms flying around his neck and bowing his face to mine.

"I suppose I'm rather selfish, though. I keep you anyway," I whispered before his lips pressed to mine. Our minds melded once more and I knew then that I never wanted that feeling of togetherness to ever go away.

- - -

We walked into the sickbay side by side, our shoulders touching, refusing to relinquish the bond we shared. I heard the girl's shrieks of laughter before I could see her.

"Hey, here comes the beauty and the beast," Leonard remarked smartly from over Abria's tiny body, "We were just finishing up."

"Lenno was tickling me!" She shouted and I smiled, knowing that McCoy would never admit that he would miss the girl once she was gone.

"You were right about the sensitivity to her skin, but I intend to give her a salt to bathe with that will thicken her skin. It should work," he told me and I nodded.

"Good work, Doctor," Spock said and he rolled his eyes.

"Not that I need _your_ approval," he said with a snort, setting the girl on the ground, "Now if you will excuse me, I have to assist our other princess." He rolled his eyes again and headed for the room that Jim was in. I laughed.

"Thanks, Leonard," I called after him, taking the girl's hand in mine.

"Ready to go home?" I asked her and she nodded excitedly as we exited the sickbay and headed toward the transporter room.

Waiting for us was the Chief and Lieutenant Wilkins, already on the transporter pad.

"Ready to go home?" the Chief asked the young girl.

"Yes, sir!" she said with a smile, following me up onto the transporter, happy to be returning home.

- - -

I turned to see Jim wheeled into the bridge by McCoy. He may have been in a chair that could be easily steered by him with merely the flick of his wrist, but he would never give up the chance for somebody to wait on him. He would only need to be incapacitated for a while, but that recovery time will probably lengthen if he kept disobeying the Doctor's orders.

"Everything settled down there?" he asked, his question directed at Spock and me.

"Yes, sir. You will be debriefed as soon as you feel up to it."

The Chief concluded that a Star Ship would be sent back to planet Niburan in a few years once the hatred of humans dies down. He entrusted the Joremur with the task of prosecuting the kidnappers in however he sees fit, seeing as the Federation had no say in Niburan's government if they were not part of it, and could always set up a video feed between the Enterprise and the trial if witnesses were needed.

I felt Spock's fingers brush against the back of my neck and I smiled, placing my earpiece into my ear, the cold metal familiar. "The USS Republic and Shenandoah are leaving orbit now, Captain," I told him, and we watched them enter warp from our large screen.

"Alrighty, then. Mr Sulu, you are free to leave Niburan's orbit."

"With pleasure, Sir."

"So," he said, turning to us all cheerfully, "Who wants to sign my cast?"

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**Thank you all so much for your support. You can check out my new Star Trek fic "Africa Calling", first chapter now up.**


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